Garlic is a popular spice used to flavor a wide variety of foods and cuisine. It has a long history of being used in food as well as medicine, dating as far back as when the Egyptian pyramids were built, according to the University of Maryland. Garlic was given to soldiers during World War I and II to prevent gangrene. Today, garlic is a widely used supplement in the prevention of heart disease. While garlic holds many benefits, it does have a few disadvantages and precautions that should be considered.
Odor
Garlic contains a chemical called alliin that is derived from the amino acid cysteine. Alliin is odorless but contains sulfur. When a garlic bulb is crushed, this alliin converts to the chemical compound allicin. Allicin is the compound that creates garlic's odor. This smell can affect your breath and in large quantities can also cause body odor.
Gastrointestinal
Some people can experience sensitivity to garlic and it can irritate the gastrointestinal tract, especially if you suffer from a stomach or digestive disorder. Some common stomach and digestive side effects to garlic consumption be it in foods or in supplement form, include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, upset stomach, bloating and a loss of appetite. If these symptoms occur when you take garlic in a supplement form, look for supplements that have an enteric coating. This coating allows the garlic supplement to dissolve in the intestine and not in the stomach and may help to alleviate stomach discomfort.
Medication Interactions
Garlic can interact with a variety of different medications. If you are diagnosed with HIV/AIDS and are taking non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, or NNRTIs, or the medication saquinavir, talk to your physician regarding garlic. Garlic can affect how quickly the body breaks down these medications and can decrease their effectiveness. One of the health benefits of garlic in cardiac prevention is antiplatelet and blood thinning properties. If you are taking medications like Coumadin, the risk of bleeding and bruising is increased with garlic consumption.
Considerations
Garlic does provide a wonderful flavoring agent and many medicinal benefits. If garlic is a regular part of your diet, make sure to discuss this with your physician. If you are a patient on an anticoagulant, or blood thinner, make sure your physician is aware of this. Because of garlic's blood thinning properties, your physician may recommend a reduced amount of garlic in your diet or he may need to adjust your medication dosage taking the garlic into consideration. Garlic has some moderate interactions with other medication such as birth control pills and medication for tuberculosis, so make sure your doctor is aware of your garlic intake and all medications.
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