Any food you consume too much of can have negative effects on your health. Garlic is not an exception to this rule. While the NCCIH doesn't suggest an upper limit of garlic consumption, it does note that side effects may exist from eating raw garlic such as an upset stomach.
However, it is much more likely that you will want to stop eating garlic well before reaching this threshold. That is because you'll likely develop bad breath if you continue to eat more garlic. When consumed in food, it is not very likely you will come close to hitting an unsafe upper limit of garlic.
However, if you choose to take a supplement, you may want to exercise caution and use only the indicated amount. You should also consult your doctor before starting a garlic supplement, especially if you use blood thinners. Garlic has natural anti-clotting properties.
Though this may benefit the heart and circulation, the NCCIH and the Mayo Clinic warn that it can pose a risk of bleeding for people who use anticoagulants or blood thinners such as warfarin. The NCCIH suggests avoiding garlic supplements prior to surgery as well and points out that garlic supplements may interfere with the effectiveness of certain medications, such as saquinavir, a drug used to treat HIV.
Talk to your doctor or surgeon prior to taking garlic supplements. He or she can help you figure out whether garlic supplements will interact poorly with the medications you are taking. Garlic may cause gastrointestinal discomfort. Heating it or putting it in a recipe can change its pH balance. The enzymes from the allicin need a few minutes to start working, so let it sit after you mince, crush or chop it. Overdoing it can cause discomfort, including upset stomach, bloating, diarrhea, body odor and bad breath.
Pass the gum, please! On rare occasions, garlic supplements can cause headaches, fatigue, appetite loss, muscle aches, dizziness and allergic reactions such as asthma attacks or skin rashes.
Be sure to consult your doctor before taking any garlic supplement. Our expert shares six ways that garlic boosts your health.
Learn more about vaccine availability. Advertising Policy. Garlic contains a variety of sulfur compounds , which are often credited with its many health benefits 1. However, these compounds may cause bad breath, especially when eaten in large amounts. This is especially true for raw garlic, as cooking decreases the content of these beneficial sulfur compounds 5 , 6. Still, you can try several home remedies to get rid of garlic breath.
Like onions, leeks, and asparagus , garlic is high in fructans, a type of carb that may cause bloating, gas, and stomach pain in some people 7. Instead, it travels to the colon intact and is fermented in your gut, a process that may contribute to digestive issues 7. As such, people following a low FODMAP diet — an elimination diet intended to identify specific foods that trigger digestive issues — are often encouraged to limit their garlic intake 8.
If you have gastroesophageal reflux disease GERD , you may want to consider lowering your garlic intake. GERD is a common condition that occurs when stomach acid flows back up into your esophagus, causing symptoms like heartburn and nausea 9. Garlic may decrease lower esophageal sphincter LES tone, which is the ability of the muscles at the bottom of your esophagus to close and prevent acid from entering. In turn, this may trigger acid reflux However, certain foods affect people with GERD differently.
Eating large amounts of garlic may cause garlic breath, digestive issues, and heartburn. Although no official recommendations exist for how much garlic you should eat, studies show that eating 1—2 cloves 3—6 grams per day may have health benefits 1. Some trials are not well blinded; some are only of short duration; some have only small numbers of patients; and many are not well controlled. In addition, many different garlic preparations have been used, with unpredictable release of active ingredients.
Many randomized clinical trials have studied the effects of garlic on lipid levels. Since then, additional, better-designed trials have been published, with conflicting results.
A more recent meta-analysis 10 of placebo-controlled trials using standardized dried garlic powder showed significant reductions in total cholesterol levels This difference in reduction may be due to differences in the studies i.
A European trial 12 comparing garlic with a commercial lipid-lowering drug bezafibrate, a fibric acid derivative not available in the United States found them to be equally effective in decreasing lipids to a statistically significant extent. One trial 13 of garlic extract treatment in children with hypercholesterolemia found no adverse effects, but also no significant beneficial effect on lipid levels. The antihypertensive effects of garlic have been studied but remain controversial.
In a meta-analysis 15 assessing the effect of garlic on hypertension, three trials showed significant reductions in systolic blood pressure 7.
In a more recent meta-analysis, 10 23 placebo-controlled trials were analyzed. Only three trials showed a statistically significant reduction in diastolic blood pressure 2 to 7 percent , and one showed a statistically significant reduction in systolic blood pressure approximately 3 percent in patients treated with garlic compared with placebo.
A recent review 10 of 10 trials assessing the effect of garlic on thrombotic risk showed modest but significant decreases in platelet aggregation with garlic compared with placebo, but mixed results on fibrinolytic activity and plasma viscosity were reported.
The same review analyzed 12 trials of garlic supplementation in diabetic and nondiabetic adults; only one trial showed a significant decrease in glucose levels in nondiabetic patients who took garlic when compared with placebo. Atherosclerotic plaque volume reduction in humans also has been noted in two trials comparing garlic treatment with placebo. Epidemiologic evidence, primarily from case-control and some cohort studies, has shown a decreased risk of stomach and colon cancer with the high consumption of garlic and other allium vegetables e.
Small studies have shown that garlic exerts antimicrobial activity against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. The ingestion of one to two cloves of raw garlic per day is considered safe in adults. The most common side effect of ingested garlic is breath and body odor. Consumption of excessive amounts of raw garlic, especially on an empty stomach, can cause gastrointestinal upset, flatulence, and changes in the intestinal flora.
It has been suggested that patients taking anticoagulants use caution when taking garlic because of its antithrombotic properties. The effective dosage of garlic has not been determined. Dosages generally recommended in the literature for adults are 4 g one to two cloves of raw garlic per day, one mg dried garlic powder tablet standardized to 1.
Large, long-term, fully blinded, and well-controlled studies using a standardized preparation of garlic with known active components are necessary. A diet rich in allium vegetables seems to be a good choice with low-risk antineoplastic potential, and good taste as a beneficial side effect.
Table 1 outlines the efficacy, safety, tolerability, dosage, and cost of garlic. Effect on protease inhibitor pharmacokinetics is unclear; use caution when taken with anticoagulants; consider discontinuing high dosages 7 to 10 days before surgery.
Already a member or subscriber? Log in. Interested in AAFP membership? Learn more. Address correspondence to Ellen Tattelman, M. Reprints are not available from the author. Garlic: the science and therapeutic application of Allium sativum L.
Murray MT. Rocklin, Calif. Effect of garlic on total serum cholesterol.
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