Potential Health Benefit of Garlic Based on Human Intervention Studies: A Brief Overview
Johura Ansary,
Tamara Yuliett Forbes-Hernández,
Emilio Gil,
Danila Cianciosi,
Jiaojiao Zhang,
Maria Elexpuru-Zabaleta,
Jesus Simal-Gandara,
Francesca Giampieri,
Maurizio Battino
Affiliations
Johura Ansary
Dipartimento di Scienze Cliniche Specialistiche e Odontostomtologiche—Università Politecnica delle Marche, Via Ranieri 65, 60130 Ancona, Italy
Tamara Yuliett Forbes-Hernández
Nutrition and Food Science Group, department of Analytical and Food Chemistry, CITACA, CACTI, University of Vigo-Vigo Campus, 36310 Vigo, Spain
Emilio Gil
Nutrition and Food Science Group, Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Immunology, Faculty of Biology, University of Vigo, 36310 Vigo, Spain
Danila Cianciosi
Dipartimento di Scienze Cliniche Specialistiche e Odontostomtologiche—Università Politecnica delle Marche, Via Ranieri 65, 60130 Ancona, Italy
Jiaojiao Zhang
Dipartimento di Scienze Cliniche Specialistiche e Odontostomtologiche—Università Politecnica delle Marche, Via Ranieri 65, 60130 Ancona, Italy
Maria Elexpuru-Zabaleta
Dipartimento di Scienze Cliniche e Molecolari, Facoltà di Medicina, Università Politecnica delle Marche, 60131 Ancona, Italy
Jesus Simal-Gandara
Nutrition and Bromatology Group, Department of Analytical and Food Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Vigo, Ourense Campus, E-32004 Ourense, Spain
Francesca Giampieri
Dipartimento di Scienze Cliniche Specialistiche e Odontostomtologiche—Università Politecnica delle Marche, Via Ranieri 65, 60130 Ancona, Italy
Maurizio Battino
Dipartimento di Scienze Cliniche Specialistiche e Odontostomtologiche—Università Politecnica delle Marche, Via Ranieri 65, 60130 Ancona, Italy
Garlic is a polyphenolic and organosulfur enriched nutraceutical spice consumed since ancient times. Garlic and its secondary metabolites have shown excellent health-promoting and disease-preventing effects on many human common diseases, such as cancer, cardiovascular and metabolic disorders, blood pressure, and diabetes, through its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and lipid-lowering properties, as demonstrated in several in vitro, in vivo, and clinical studies. The present review aims to provide a comprehensive overview on the consumption of garlic, garlic preparation, garlic extract, and garlic extract-derived bioactive constituents on oxidative stress, inflammation, cancer, cardiovascular and metabolic disorders, skin, bone, and other common diseases. Among the 83 human interventional trials considered, the consumption of garlic has been reported to modulate multiple biomarkers of different diseases; in addition, its combination with drugs or other food matrices has been shown to be safe and to prolong their therapeutic effects. The rapid metabolism and poor bioavailability that have limited the therapeutic use of garlic in the last years are also discussed.
