Fact Check: Claims of daily garlic consumption reducing cholesterol, blood pressure are false
In the absence of any large-scale studies on the role of garlic in improving immunity, reducing cholesterol and BP levels and detoxifying heavy metals, Newsmeter found the claims made in the video are misleading
By Neelambaran A Published on 24 Jun 2024 5:02 AM GMT
Claim: The video claims that consuming one garlic per day results in health benefits
Fact: There is no detailed study to prove the claims
Hyderabad: A video is being widely shared on X which claims that eating one garlic per day for 30 days can bring important health benefits.
The caption of the video in Tamil advises people to follow the information in the video to become healthy.
An English voiceover in the video states that consuming garlic a day for 30 days improves the immune system within a week, reduces cholesterol and blood pressure by the second week and protects organs from heavy metal toxicity during the third week.
The video goes on to claim that in 30 days the energy and the well-being of the user will increase, digestion becomes smoother and the risk of chronic disease is lower with skin showing signs of less inflammation.
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the claims made in the video are misleading as there is no scientific data to support the health benefits mentioned in the video from eating one garlic every day.
Dr Anu Rathna, a senior gynaecologist from Chennai, said, “Most of the population consumes garlic as part of their food every day, but they still get ill for different reasons. There could be an improvement in the immune system but the duration of a week is not believable and hence it is a false statement.”
Dr Vipin Nair V, a general physician from Thiruvananthapuram said that there are studies done on garlic, evaluating its lipid-lowering effect.
“The results of such studies are conflicting as only small studies showed some improvement in lipid profile while larger studies showed no statistically significant benefits. Hence it is not recommended as a supplement,” he said.
Regarding the claim about its detoxifying effects, Dr Anu Rathna said, we need an evidence-based study to prove this claim.
Allicin, a compound generated while crushing or cutting the garlic is credited to give such benefits. However, the US Food and Drug Administration has not approved garlic as a supplement considering its safety and effectiveness.
Further, the consumption of garlic in large quantities every day harms health. It results in bad breath, digestive issues, heartburn and bleeding on rare occasions.
Hence, in the absence of any large-scale studies on the role of garlic in improving immunity, reducing cholesterol and BP levels and detoxifying heavy metals, Newsmeter found the claims made in the video are misleading.
