Videos by Gasparre Chiropractic & Sports Rehabilitation in Costa Mesa.
Like so many other complex plant foods, garlic contains a wide range of phytocompounds that act together to produce a wide variety of responses in your body. Garlic is rich in manganese, calcium, phosphorus, selenium, and vitamins B6 and C, so it’s beneficial for your bones as well as your thyroid. Garlic also helps your body cleanse itself of heavy metals, such as lead, mercury, cadmium, and arsenic.1 Green Med Info has also assembled a list of studies demonstrating garlic's positive effects for more than 150 different diseases.2 In general, its benefits fall into four main categories: 1. Reducing inflammation (reduces risk of osteoarthritis as mentioned in the video above) 2. Boosting immune function (antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, and antiparasitic properties) 3. Improving cardiovascular health and circulation (protects against clotting, retards plaque, improves lipids, and reduces blood pressure) 4. Toxic to 14 kinds of cancer cells (including brain, lung, breast, and pancreatic) The fact that garlic is so effective in fighting multiple types of cancer is probably related to its potent antioxidant effects. Garlic contains the precursors to allicin—a compound I’ll be discussing in detail shortly. Allicin is one of the most potent antioxidants from the plant kingdom.