Who doesn’t like a little garlic in their pasta dish? And how many of us would gladly take a daily garlic supplement if we knew it could help our health? Well, now there’s even more incentive to take garlic seriously. It turns out that garlic can help protect our brains from aging and fight disease.
People have long known about garlic’s antioxidant anti-inflammatory abilities, but new research shows us that garlic has even more to offer us for our health. A nutrient component of garlic, known as FruArg may offer some surprising abilities to help protect from these environmental assaults.
Aging is more than just an expected progression of changes in our body and brain cells. It is influenced and hastened by such factors as excessive alcohol consumption, traumatic brain injury, pollution, smoking or even family history.
According to Futurity: “Microglia are immune cells in the brain and spinal cord that are the first and main line of defense in the central nervous system,” says Zezong Gu, associate professor of pathology and anatomical sciences at the University of Missouri School of Medicine.
“Unlike other mature brain cells that seldom regenerate themselves, microglial cells respond to inflammation and environmental stresses by multiplying. By massing themselves and migrating toward an injury site, they are able to respond to inflammation and protect other brain cells from destruction.”
But when it comes to microglial cells, more is not better. These cells produce nitric oxide, which actually does more damage than good.
More from Dr. Gu: “If we simply increased the number of microglial cells, we also would increase the amount of nitric oxide in the brain. Excessive production of nitric oxide leads to brain cell damage and promotes neurodegenerative diseases such as cerebral ischemia, Parkinson’s disease, and Alzheimer’s disease.
But garlic may have the solution to this problem. Its component, FruArg is able to adapt to stressors and help the body become more resilient. FruArg actually reduces the amount of nitric oxide produced by the microglial cells. The FruArg also increases the amount of antioxidants produced, which offers additional healing and protective benefits.
So the next time you consider adding garlic to a recipe or taking a garlic supplement, just go ahead and do it. You may be helping your body fight disease and aging as well as adding great flavor!
Dr. Gu and his colleagues have plans to continue their research by studying the effects of FruArg on other cells in the body associated with conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. I’ll report on their findings here when they are published.
Be sure to check out the full information page for Garlic to learn about all of its medicinal uses.
Resource Links
Futurity: Can This Garlic Nutrient Keep Brains Healthy?
University of Missouri School of Medicine: Garlic Found to Protect Brain Against Disease, Aging
