5 Reasons Why Should Not Consume Garlic In Huge Amount

Garlic, a ubiquitous vegetable found in nearly every kitchen, is a member of the Allium genus, closely related to onions, shallots, chives, and Chinese onions. Rich in various nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and phytonutrients, garlic offers substantial health benefits for the body, skin, and hair.

While the abundance of these compounds contributes to its numerous health and beauty advantages, excessive consumption of garlic may lead to certain side effects. This article aims to highlight the major adverse effects of overindulging in garlic. However, before delving into these side effects, let's take a closer look at the nutrition chart of garlic.

# Eating Too Many Garlic Is Bad For Liver

The liver is a vital organ of our body that performs various functions to keep us healthy. Some of the major functions performed by the liver are the production of bile juice, aids in blood purification, carbohydrates metabolism, fat metabolism, protein metabolism, removes ammonia from our body, and performs many other functions.

Given the importance of liver to our health, it is necessary for us to take good care of our liver, and for this, you must not eat garlic in excessive quantity.

As per a study conducted in India and another report published in the University of Penn State, it was found that consuming garlic in excessive quantity can damage our liver by causing liver toxicity.

# Can Cause Bad Breath

No doubt, eating garlic provides a number of health benefits, but still, it is better to eat them in moderation as there are also some side effects to it.

Garlic has been found to be very good for our oral health because of it’s antibacterial and antifungal properties. However, eating too many garlic is bad for our oral health as it may cause extreme bad breath, which is hated by most people.

When consumed in excess, garlic can lead to not just the bad breath but also the bad body odor. The main reason for the cause of bad breath is the sulfur compound present in it. It should be noted that sulfur present in garlic plays an important role in maintaining our oral health, but in excess, it can do the opposite.For this reason, it is advised to add garlic to your diet in a responsible manner.

# May Cause Nausea, Vomiting And Heartburn

Another major side effect of eating garlic in excessive quantity is their ability to cause nausea, vomiting, and heartburn.

Garlic is very beneficial for our stomach and helps in keeping our digestive system healthy. This is an advantage of garlic as it prevents us from many stomach disorders like abdominal pain, intestinal gas, bloating, etc. Although this is an advantage of garlic, it could turn into a disadvantage when garlic is consumed in excess or on an empty stomach.

As per a study published by the National Cancer Institute, it was found that oral consumption of raw garlic cloves or extracts, or taking garlic oil on an empty stomach can lead to nausea, vomiting, and heartburn. In another study published by the Harvard Medical School, it was found that excessive consumption of garlic in our diet can increase the level of acid in our stomach and this can lead to heartburn and gastroesophageal reflux disease.

# May Cause Diarrhea

Garlic is a good source of dietary fibers that acts as a natural laxative, improves bowel movement and ensures smooth elimination of waste from our body. This benefit of garlic plays an important role in providing relief from constipation and other digestive problems like intestinal gas, abdominal pain, bloating, etc.

This advantage of garlic can turn into a disadvantage when garlic is consumed in excess, and this may lead to diarrhea. Also, some other gas forming compounds like sulfur present in garlic also plays an important role in triggering diarrhea.This is another reason for eating garlic in moderation.

# Might Aggravate Bleeding

Garlic is a natural blood thinner as it can prevent blood clots from forming and this plays an important role in keeping our cardiovascular system healthy and reduces the risk of heart attack, heart strokes, etc.

This advantage of garlic can turn into a disadvantage for the individuals who are already taking blood-thinning medications like warfarin, aspirin, etc. This is because the combined effect of blood-thinning medication and garlic is dangerous, and it might aggravate heavy bleeding even with a small injury.

For this reason, it is advisable to eat garlic in moderation, and if you are on blood-thinning medications like warfarin and aspirin, then you should first consult with your doctor. Also, if you are about to undergo surgery, then it will be better to not consume garlic two weeks prior to surgery and two weeks after the surgery.

This is because blood thinning properties of garlic could interfere with the surgical process, and your wounds and stitches may take a longer time to heal.