Garlic consumption protects and alleviates liver injuries

Among the numerous health benefits of garlic consumption, its ability to alleviate liver injuries and limit the accumulation of fat in the liver is a mind blowing scientific finding. In a paper published in the Journal of Functional Foods, liver injuries in Metabolic Associated Fatty liver Disease (MAFLD) model of mice were healed after they were fed with garlic polysaccharides.

According to the authors, garlic “can ameliorate hepatic injury and fat accumulation in mice by re-balancing gut microbiota and ameliorating disturbances in the bile secretion pathway” These potentials could also be beneficial to man as garlic consumption or use as food seasoning could proof beneficial in people with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and in conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure and in renal diseases.

In the published article, treatment with garlic led to significant proliferation of Faecalibaculum, a gut bacterium which is an efficient producer of short chain fatty acids (SCFA) in the gut of rodents. Increased production of SCFA has beneficial effects on metabolic health. High level of fat in the liver comes with high risks of developing heart diseases. In humans, gut enrichment with Bifidobacterium has severally been reported to improve metabolic health.

Garlic grows in several parts of the world and is related to onions and leeks. The chemical it produces, allicin, is what makes it to smell. Wide range of uses have been ascribed to garlic particularly in the treatment of conditions related to the heart and blood. The recent report about garlic’s ability to alleviate liver injury and reduce liver fat makes it an important food component that should be adequately harnessed as an alternative functional food ingredient.