Garlic and Gut Health
Garlic has been shown to have a number of benefits on our health and that includes our gut health. One major effect garlic has on your gut that researchers have recently discovered is its ability to act as a prebiotic for your gut microbiome. Garlic is naturally high in inulin, a type of non-digestible carbohydrate that serves as a prebiotic fiber and feeds the good bacteria in your digestive system. In addition to providing inulin fiber, garlic is also rich in the natural prebiotic fructooligosaccharides. Research has shown that garlic for gut health increases the good bacteria, Bifidobacterium, which may help prevent some gastrointestinal diseases and irregularity [1]. Another study that was done in mice demonstrated that whole garlic supplementation could alleviate the high fat diet-induced changes in our blood lipids while also minimizing disturbances of gut microbiome [2].
References
- [1] Zhang, N, et al., (2013) Study on prebiotic effectiveness of neutral garlic fructan in vitro. Food Science and Human Wellness, 2 (3–4), 119-123. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fshw.2013.07.001
- [2] Chen, K., Xie, K., Liu, Z., Nakasone, Y., Sakao, K., Hossain, A., & Hou, D. X. (2019). Preventive Effects and Mechanisms of Garlic on Dyslipidemia and Gut Microbiome Dysbiosis. Nutrients, 11(6), 1225. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11061225
- https://www.eatthis.com/major-effect-garlic-has-on-gut/
- https://www.redlionorganic.com/blogs/news/112709764-the-effect-of-garlic-on-good-and-bad-bacteria
- https://www.purewow.com/wellness/garlic-prebiotic-foods-gut-health
- https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/11-proven-health-benefits-of-garlic
