Eating garlic provides many potential health benefits, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial properties. Some people enjoy eating raw garlic cloves each day as part of a healthy diet. However, eating large amounts of raw garlic can also cause side effects in some individuals. This article explores whether it is safe to eat 4 cloves of garlic per day.
Quick Answers
Here are quick answers to common questions about eating 4 cloves of garlic daily:
- Eating 1-2 cloves per day is considered safe for most healthy adults. Consuming 4 cloves may cause digestive upset in some people.
- Garlic offers antimicrobial, antioxidant, and cardiovascular benefits. However, these benefits are most notable at lower doses of 1-2 cloves.
- Too much garlic can trigger heartburn, gas, bloating, body odor, and other side effects in some individuals.
- Cooking garlic may reduce potential digestive side effects. Consuming garlic with food can also minimize stomach upset.
- Certain populations should not consume more than 1-2 cloves daily without medical supervision, including those on blood thinners and prior to surgery.
- Speak to your doctor before significantly increasing garlic intake if you take any medications or have underlying digestive issues.
Nutrition Profile of Raw Garlic
Before discussing how much garlic is safe to eat, it’s helpful to understand garlic’s nutritional contents.
One raw garlic clove (3 grams) contains approximately:
- 5 calories
- 1 gram carbohydrates
- 0 grams protein
- 0 grams fat
- 1% DV manganese
- 1% DV vitamin B6
- 0.5% DV selenium
- 0.5% DV vitamin C
- Trace amounts of copper, phosphorus, iron, and calcium
Garlic also contains a sulfur compound called allicin, which is thought to provide most of its medicinal effects. Raw garlic provides approximately 5-9mg allicin per clove.
Although not very high in vitamins and minerals per clove, garlic can contribute to your daily nutrient intake when eaten regularly. Consuming just 1-2 cloves per day can provide manganese, vitamin B6, vitamin C, selenium, and iron.
Potential Health Benefits
Throughout history, garlic has been used to boost immunity, stave off disease, and provide other health effects. When eaten in moderation, garlic may provide the following benefits:
- Antimicrobial effects: Garlic exhibits antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal properties that may protect against infections when eaten regularly. Allicin is thought to be primarily responsible for these effects (1).
- Immune boosting: Compounds like allicin may enhance immune cell function and activity, which could reduce risk of infections (2).
- Cardiovascular benefits: Garlic appears to boost heart health by improving cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and blood vessel function (3).
- Anti-inflammatory effects: The compounds in garlic can reduce inflammation, which is involved in nearly every chronic disease (4).
- Antioxidant activity: Garlic has strong antioxidant properties that help neutralize harmful free radicals to reduce oxidative damage and disease (5).
- Cancer prevention: Regularly eating garlic appears to reduce risk of certain cancers, especially digestive system cancers (6).
Keep in mind that most of this research used intakes of just 2-5 grams of garlic per day, or about 1-2 cloves. Higher intakes may not necessarily provide greater benefits.
Potential Side Effects of Eating Too Much
While garlic offers many health benefits, consuming too much raw garlic can cause unwanted side effects in some people.
Potential side effects of eating too much garlic may include:
- Heartburn
- Intestinal gas or bloating
- Body odor
- Bad breath
- Mouth or throat irritation
- Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea
- Increase risk of bleeding if on blood thinners
- Liver toxicity at very high doses
These side effects are often triggered by garlic’s high content of allicin and other compounds. Cooking garlic somewhat reduces its allicin content, which may decrease digestive upset for some people.
Below are some of the most common side effects explained in more detail:
Heartburn
Garlic has been shown to relax the lower esophageal sphincter, which allows stomach acid to escape into the esophagus and cause heartburn or acid reflux symptoms (7).
Those already prone to reflux issues should be cautious about eating garlic, especially raw and on an empty stomach.
Intestinal Gas and Bloating
Some of the sulfur-containing compounds in garlic are not properly digested and absorbed in the small intestine. These compounds enter the large intestine and get metabolized by gut bacteria, producing intestinal gas.
If you experience bloating, gas, or abdominal discomfort from eating garlic, try consuming smaller amounts with food. Cooking garlic may also minimize symptoms.
Body Odor
Eating garlic can cause body odor in two ways:
- Your skin excretes the volatile compounds after digesting garlic.
- The compounds enter your lungs and breath after eating.
Because allicin and other compounds are excreted through skin sweat and respiration, too much garlic can negatively impact body odor.
Increased Bleeding Risk
Garlic acts as a natural blood thinner and may increase risk of bruising and bleeding in some individuals. Those on prescription blood thinners like Warfarin must be extremely cautious about suddenly increasing garlic intake.
Speak to your healthcare provider before supplementing with garlic if you have a bleeding disorder or upcoming surgery.
Note that cooking garlic reduces its blood-thinning effects compared to raw garlic.
Is Eating 4 Cloves of Garlic Per Day Safe?
Based on the research, consuming up to 2-3 raw garlic cloves per day is likely safe for most healthy adults.
Eating up to 4 cloves may also be well tolerated if your digestive system is accustomed to garlic. However, going beyond this amount could increase your risk of unwanted side effects.
Here is a quick overview of how much garlic is considered safe and beneficial:
- 2-3 cloves per day: Safe and provides health benefits for most people
- 3-4 cloves per day: May be safe if you tolerate garlic well. Higher end of beneficial intake.
- 5+ cloves per day: Increased risk of side effects but can be tolerated by some.
Consuming garlic with food helps minimize potential stomach issues. You can also try cooking garlic or choosing aged garlic supplements if you experience digestive discomfort.
Who Should Not Consume High Amounts?
Certain populations should avoid eating more than 2-3 cloves of garlic daily unless approved by a medical provider, including:
- Those on prescription blood thinners like Warfarin or Coumadin
- People with upcoming surgery
- Individuals with a bleeding disorder
- Anyone with digestive problems like GERD, IBS, or ulcers
- People taking HIV medications or other drugs that interact with garlic
Pregnant women may also want to keep garlic intake under 3 cloves daily to be safe. Always discuss significant dietary changes with your healthcare provider.
Tips to Minimize Side Effects
Here are some tips to reduce potential digestive discomfort or other issues from eating garlic:
- Consume garlic with meals
- Start with small amounts and slowly increase intake
- Cook garlic instead of eating raw
- Avoid garlic on an empty stomach
- Use garlic supplements standardized for allicin
- Wait for symptoms to resolve before increasing garlic again
- Drink plenty of water and fluids
Let your body adjust slowly to higher intakes before trying 4 cloves per day. Stop eating garlic if you experience concerning side effects and discuss symptoms with your doctor.
Healthy Ways to Eat More Garlic
Here are some healthy ways to eat 1-4 cloves of garlic per day:
- Add raw minced garlic to dressings, dips, and sauces
- Use chopped garlic to flavor soups, stews, roasts, and casseroles
- Sauté garlic with extra virgin olive oil and toss with veggies or greens
- Rub thin garlic slices onto whole grain toast or crostini
- Infuse olive oil with garlic cloves to make flavored oil
- Roast a whole garlic bulb and spread onto bread or mix into mashed potatoes
- Make hummus or baba ghanoush topped with minced raw garlic
Combining garlic with other healthy foods can minimize digestion issues. Avoid taking garlic supplements on an empty stomach.
Can You Eat Too Much Garlic?
Yes, it’s possible to overdo it on garlic and experience adverse effects.
Consuming more than 5-6 cloves of raw garlic per day on a regular basis may cause issues like:
- Severe gastrointestinal distress
- Garlic burn (skin rash)
- Bleeding problems
- Liver toxicity
- Drug interactions
- Nutrient imbalances from eating too much of one food
Signs you may be eating too much garlic include:
- Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea
- Severe heartburn
- Bloating and abdominal pain
- Body odor and bad breath
- Frequent garlic aftertaste
- Dizziness or headaches
- Iron deficiency anemia
Stop eating garlic immediately if you experience these symptoms. See a doctor if symptoms are severe or persistent.
Bottom Line
Based on the research, most healthy adults can safely eat 1-4 cloves of garlic per day and take advantage of its health promoting properties.
However, listen to your body’s response. Reduce intake if garlic causes digestive upset or unpleasant side effects.
Certain populations should not consume more than 1-2 cloves daily without speaking to a healthcare provider first.
Eating garlic with meals, cooking it, and slowly increasing intake can minimize adverse effects.
While garlic offers many benefits, more is not necessarily better when it comes to health.