Eating garlic like crazy to avoid becoming a "small penis"? No way!

Garlic is a common condiment in the kitchen. Dumplings, noodles, hot pot and barbecue should be eaten with garlic. Without garlic, there is no soul.

According to the "Records of Natural History", garlic was introduced to my country during the Han Dynasty, and has a history of thousands of years. In the past, garlic was just a simple little character on the table, but now with the changes in the epidemic prevention and control situation, many people have begun to count on eating garlic to prevent the new crown, fearing that they will join the "herd" if they are a little careless.

Can holding a piece of garlic in your mouth or even eating a lot of garlic every day prevent COVID-19? How to prevent the long-lasting "fragrance" of garlic? This article will talk about garlic.

01

Can eating garlic prevent COVID-19?

The reason why eating garlic can prevent COVID-19 is because garlic contains garlic oil, whose main ingredient is allicin.

Allicin is a volatile organic sulfide with a pungent odor. It has certain biological activities. It not only has antioxidant, blood pressure and lipid-lowering, anti-tumor effects, but also has significant inhibitory effects on bacteria, fungi, viruses and parasites. [1]

In addition, a study also mentioned that the biological active site of allicin forms hydrogen bonds with serine proteases, thereby reducing the infection of the new coronavirus and preventing its outbreak. [1, 2]

There was also a clinical trial conducted on 197 COVID-19 patients, of which 97 patients used garlic essential oil during treatment, and the other 100 patients only received conventional treatment. The results showed that patients who received garlic essential oil treatment showed a shorter duration of symptoms, and the nucleic acid test turned negative and the computed tomography (CT) symptom improvement time was earlier than those who received conventional treatment. [3]

However, it should be clear that the above studies all used extracts of specific ingredients, which are still somewhat different from the garlic we usually eat. It does not mean that eating garlic directly can achieve the same effect. Blindly eating garlic may also cause problems.

A report from abroad mentioned that during the COVID-19 pandemic, a 72-year-old woman listened to her friend's advice and chewed a clove of raw garlic every day before lunch to prevent infection with the new coronavirus. She continued to do this for two months. Later, she felt a burning sensation and pain when chewing garlic, and cracks appeared on her tongue. The doctor then asked her to stop eating raw garlic immediately and adjust her diet to a soft diet without sour, peppery, spicy or hot foods. Later, her tongue gradually improved. [4]

From the literature

Although garlic is an immunomodulator, there are reports that a diet containing garlic (raw or crushed) can affect the expression of human immunity and improve immunity. However, don't eat garlic frequently or in large quantities to prevent the new coronavirus. There is currently a lack of authoritative in vivo research and clinical experimental evidence that eating garlic directly can prevent the new coronavirus.

In fact, when it comes to preventing the new coronavirus, instead of worrying about condiments such as onions, ginger, and garlic, it is better to wash your hands frequently, ventilate frequently, and wear a mask correctly.

02

What can garlic bring us?

As the saying goes, "If you eat meat without garlic, the nutrition is reduced by half." It is a habit of many people to eat meat with garlic. This is not just for the sake of taste. Lean meat is rich in vitamin B1, which is a water-soluble vitamin that stays in the body for a short time and will be excreted with urine.

Studies have shown that if you eat meat with garlic, the vitamin B1 in the meat can combine with the allicin in garlic to form "alliamine", which changes its water-soluble nature to fat-soluble nature, prolonging its residence time in the body and better promoting the absorption and utilization of vitamin B1. [5]

Therefore, we can eat garlic when eating foods rich in vitamin B1, such as lean meat, liver, eggs, milk and other foods.

The spicy taste of garlic is because the alliin in it will quickly turn into allicin under the action of alliinase after the garlic is squeezed or cut. Allicin is very spicy. It is not only a biologically active substance in garlic, but also a main ingredient in seasoning dishes.

However, allicin is unstable. At room temperature, allicin is easily degraded into compounds such as ajoene, and its antibacterial activity is significantly reduced. When the temperature is above 80°C, the antibacterial activity of allicin is completely lost. [1]

If you are afraid of the spiciness of garlic, you can add a few garlic cloves to the soup when you stir-fry it or stew it. After being heated, the allicin activity is lost and the spiciness is no longer there. Although it no longer has antibacterial effects, it can supplement us with inulin. Garlic contains 9% to 16% inulin. [6]

Inulin is a polysaccharide, a soluble dietary fiber, and also a prebiotic. It can promote the proliferation of probiotics, inhibit the growth of intestinal putrefactive bacteria, improve the intestinal microenvironment, and regulate blood sugar levels.

In addition, a 2011 meta-analysis showed that Allium vegetables (onions, garlic, scallions, leeks, chives, etc.) have antibacterial effects against Helicobacter pylori and are associated with a reduced risk of gastric cancer. Eating 20 grams of Allium vegetables per day can reduce the risk of gastric cancer by 9%. [7] 20 grams of garlic is equivalent to 3 to 4 cloves.

Photo courtesy of the author

03

Don't eat too much garlic

Although eating garlic in moderation is beneficial and safe for your health, it does not mean that the more you eat, the better, especially raw garlic.

Eating too much raw garlic can cause adverse reactions. Eating too much garlic on an empty stomach can cause changes in intestinal flora, flatulence, gastrointestinal dysfunction, weight loss, hemolytic anemia, and liver and kidney damage. If raw garlic is sliced ​​or mashed and placed on the skin or held in the mouth for too long, it can cause blisters, dermatitis, and burns. [8]

In addition, eating too much raw garlic may irritate the eyes and cause eye discomfort. If you like to eat it, eat 3 to 4 cloves a day at most.

04

How to solve the problem of garlic taste in mouth?

Garlic contains sulfides, which have a unique smell. A bite of garlic leaves a lasting "fragrance", which is garlic's self-defense mechanism. This smell is difficult to get rid of, and is related to the methyl allyl sulfide produced after methyl mercaptan and allicin are decomposed and digested by the gastrointestinal tract. It usually reaches its peak between 6 and 18 hours after eating garlic. [9] It usually takes more than 16 hours to be completely metabolized. Methyl allyl sulfide also appears in urine, causing urine odor, and can also be excreted along with carbon dioxide in the breath, so even the breath after eating garlic has "that smell".

To reduce or eliminate this odor, you can try the following 3 methods:

① Eat apples and lettuce: You can eat some fresh fruits and vegetables, which contain some enzymes that can convert the thiols remaining in the mouth into odorless molecules, such as lettuce and apples. It is best to eat them with garlic. [9]

② Drink milk: It can reduce the garlic smell in the mouth, because the protein in milk can combine with allicin, thereby reducing the garlic smell.

③ Drink tea or chew tea leaves: The tea polyphenols in green tea can remove allicin. Japan is a country that has done a lot of research on garlic. The chewing gum they developed containing tea polyphenols can not only kill bacteria in the mouth, but also remove smoke, onion, garlic and bad breath. Therefore, drinking tea or chewing tea leaves after eating garlic can reduce the garlic odor in the mouth. [10]

05

How to choose a good garlic?

Choose garlic with plump cloves, strong and dry heads, no dryness or cracking, and milky white cloves. If you like to eat spicier ones, you can choose single-headed garlic.

Tuchong Creative

Garlic will sprout after being stored for a long time and after its dormant period. This is the garlic sprout (green garlic) we often eat. The dietary fiber, vitamin C, and carotene content are 1.6 times, 5 times, and 9.3 times that of garlic, respectively. When garlic matures, the stem that sprouts from the middle is the garlic scape. The dietary fiber, mineral magnesium, iron, and zinc content will increase to 2.3 times, 1.3 times, 3.5 times, and 1.2 times that of garlic, respectively. [11]

Summarize:

For those who like to eat garlic, it is recommended to eat 3 to 4 cloves a day, but don't expect to treat or prevent COVID-19 by eating garlic, just treat it as a normal food. If you don't like it, don't force yourself to eat it, there is no need to eat garlic crazily.

References:

[1] Pu Chuan, Hu Haibo, Kuang Haixue, Peng Jinnian, Tan Ying, Huang Hao, Hu Bin. Research progress on the anti-pathogenic effects of garlic and its active ingredients[J]. Chinese Herbal Medicine, 2022, 53(07): 2174-2183.

[2]Khubber S, Hashemifesharaki R, Mohammadi M, Gharibzahedi SMT. Garlic (Allium sativum L.): a potential unique therapeutic food rich in organosulfur and flavonoid compounds to fight with COVID-19. Nutr J. 2020;19(1):124. Published 2020 Nov 18. doi:10.1186/s12937-020-00643-8

[3]Wang Y, Wu Y, Fu P, Zhou H, Guo X, Zhu C, Tu Y, Wang J, Li H, Chen Z. Effect of garlic essential oil in 97 patients hospitalized with covid-19: A multi-center experience. Pak J Pharm Sci. 2022 Jul;35(4):1077-1082. PMID: 36008904.

[4]Muniz IAF, Campos DES, Shinkai RSA, Trindade TGD, Cosme-Trindade DC. Case report of oral mucosa garlic burn during COVID-19 pandemic outbreak and role of teledentistry to manage oral health in an older adult woman. Spec Care Dentist. 2021 Sep;41(5):639-643. doi: 10.1111/scd.12605. Epub 2021 May 24. PMID: 34029421; PMCID: PMC8242564.

[5] Chen Yongqing. Application of allicin in cooking seasoning[J]. Chinese Condiments, 2007, (4): 69-71. DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1000-9973.2007.04.013.

[6] Li Xuan, Luo Denglin, Xiang Jinle, et al. Properties, functions and application progress of inulin in food[J]. Journal of the Chinese Cereals and Oils Association, 2021, 36(4): 185-192. DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1003-0174.2021.04.030.

[7]Zhou Y, Zhuang W, Hu W, Liu GJ, Wu TX, Wu XT. Consumption of large amounts of Allium vegetables reduces risk for gastric cancer in a meta-analysis. Gastroenterology. 2011;141(1):80-89. doi:10.1053/j.gastro.2011.03.057

[8] Zhao Mingyang, Wang Zhibin, Sun Yanping, Yang Bingyou, Wang Qiuhong, Kuang Haixue. Research progress on organic sulfides in garlic and their biological activities[J]. Food and Drug, 2021, 23(06): 565-571.

[9] Harold Mackey, author. Translated by Cai Chengzhi. Food and Cooking. Vegetables, Fruits, Spices, and Grains. Beijing Fine Arts Photography Publishing House. August 2013.

[10] Zou Baoyu. Study on the scavenging effect and mechanism of tea extract on allicin[D]. Shandong Agricultural University, 2012.

[11] Yang Yuexin. Chinese Food Composition Table 6th Edition Volume 1[M]. Peking University Medical Press, 2018

Author | Xue Qingxin, member of Chinese Nutrition Society, registered dietitian, health manager, public nutritionist

Review | Han Hongwei, Director and Researcher of Risk Communication Department, National Food Safety Risk Assessment Center

This article is produced by the "Science Rumor Refutation Platform" (ID: Science_Facts). Please indicate the source when reprinting.

The pictures in this article are from the copyright gallery and are not authorized for reproduction.