Health Benefits of Garlic

A single clove of garlic, one serving, weighs approximately 3 g and contains about three calories. There is 1 g of carbohydrate and 3 mg of sodium in a single clove. Garlic contains no fat, no cholesterol and no protein. Garlic contains small amounts of the nutrients calcium, manganese, choline, folate, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, and vitamins C, A and K in each clove.

Garlic is one of the few foods containing sulfur compounds which give garlic its characteristic strong scent while also providing beneficial activity within the body. Garlic has three different groups of sulfur-containing compounds: thiosulfinates, sulfoxides and dithiins. Specific compounds within these groups include allicin, alliin, allixin,S-allylcysteine, ajoene, 1,2-vinyldithiin and thiacremonone. Some major activities of these compounds include helping maintain blood pressure, lowering cholesterol, preventing cancer and preventing blood clots.
While many of the studies into the nutritional components of garlic have focused on the activity of its sulfur-containing compounds, there are other phytochemicals that confer health benefits as well. Quercetin, luteolin and kaempferol are flavonoids in garlic that provide anti-inflammatory activity and act as antioxidants to scavenge and neutralize free radicals in the body that could contribute to cancer if left unchecked.

Garlic consumption has an overall cardioprotective effect on the body, according to World's Healthiest Foods. The spice also may contribute to weight loss by regulating the formation of fat cells in the body. Garlic has strong antibacterial and antiviral activity that can help prevent or shorten the duration of infections. Garlic is also anti-inflammatory, which might confer protection against diseases such as arthritis and asthma.