Garlic, the King of Anti-Oxidants Says the Queen.
Other than keeping vampires away, I thought that the benefits of garlic were an urban myth. Findings posted in the January 2009 issue of of the international chemistry journal Angewandte Chemie apparently have proven me wrong. The study was conducted by researchers at the Queens University in Ontario.
The organic compound Allicin, which gives garlic its aroma and flavor is thought to be the prime mover. The sulfenic acid formed when Allicin decomposition starts reacts rapidly with free radicals which have been known to be responsible for the aging process. Scientists produced synthetic allicin and the reaction between the acid and radicals resulted in a very potent anti-oxidant.
More specifically, it is peroxyl radicals that are the garlics main target. Peroxyl radicals belong to to a group called free radicals which are highly reactive oxygen molecules that have lost an electron. This loss of an electron make these molecules unstable or in chemical terms, reactive. To recover this lost electron, a free radical might steal an electron from a neighboring healthy cell. As a result, vital cellular mechanisms could be compromised. It is ironic that an essential element can have such a deleterious effect on the human body. This constant attack on the body is known as oxidative stress and have been linked to diseases such as stroke, cancer, and heart disease.
Free radicals are derived from basic metabolic processes as well as exposure to X-rays, smoking, air pollutants, ozone, and industrial chemicals. The role of the anti-oxidant is to take away the harmful properties associated with free radicals.
There is a caveat to this study in that allicin is not found in fresh garlic and the reaction can only take place when the garlic is crushed. Lots of recipes call for crushed garlic so this should not be a problem. One technique to use is with the side of a chefs knife smash the garlic down. This serves two purposes in that you have yourself some crushed garlic and the peeling of the outer skin becomes much easier.