Surprising Garlic Health Benefits: Slows Ageing & Protects Brain from Disease

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FruArg, a carbohydrate derivative present in garlic is capable of protecting brain from ageing as well as neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and cerebral ischemia, says Zezong Gu, the lead author of the study, associate professor of pathology and anatomical sciences at the University of Missouri School of Medicine in a paper published in PLOS ONE.

Garlic is one of the most important dietary supplements consumed by people worldwide, said Gu. He also added that apart from sulphur containing compounds that render antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits, a type of carbohydrate derivative FruArg present in garlic has an important role to play against ageing and many other neurodegenerative diseases, reported Futurity.

"Scientists are still discovering different ways garlic benefits the human body," said Gu. "Our research is focused on a carbohydrate derivative of garlic known as FruArg and the role this nutrient plays in protective responses," added the researcher.

Gu and team studied the nutrient ability of garlic in treating brain cell damage caused by environmental stress factors such as pollution, ageing process, excessive alcohol consumption, traumatic brain injury and smoking.

"Microglia are immune cells in the brain and spinal cord that are the first and main line of defence in the central nervous system," said Gu. Microglial cells multiply themselves and respond to inflammation and environmental stresses unlike other non-regenerative brain cells. The microglial cells during this immune response produce nitric oxide. The nitric oxide on excessive production leads to brain cell damage and promotes neurodegenerative diseases such as cerebral ischemia, Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease, according to Daily Mail.

In an effort to resolve this issue Gu and team constructed a neurological model and studied the benefits of FruArg on brain health. When stress was applied to the model there was an increase in the amount of microglial cells as well as the by-product nitric oxide, said the researcher. He also added that on applying FruArg to the model the microglial cells adapted stress and also decreased the production of nitric oxide.

"Additionally, FruArg promoted the production of antioxidants, which offered protective and healing benefits to other brain cells. This helps us understand how garlic benefits the brain by making it more resilient to the stress and inflammation associated with neurological diseases and aging," noted Gu.

The effects of FruArg on other cells in the body and on conditions such as diabetes, cancer and heart disease would also be studied in future, said Gu and his colleagues, reported Daily Mail.