Sprouted Garlic Cloves Are High in Healthy Antioxidants

 

If you are like me, you try to keep your stored garlic viable until you have new garlic to eat. The problem is that stored garlic likes to sprout. Don't despair, this sprouted garlic is actually good for you.

Extracts from garlic cloves sprouted for 5-6 days had higher antioxidant activity than fresher younger bulbs (Zakarova et al. 2014). This actually makes evolutionary sense. When plants sprout and grow, they are in danger from pathogens. So the growing plant produces compounds to protect itself from harm. Many of these protective plant compounds are what we know as antioxidants. Consuming more antioxidants in your diet promotes health and reduces harmful inflammation.

Zakarova et al. (2014) also reported that the extract from the sprouted garlic bulbs even protected human cells in a petri dish from oxidative damage. So if you want the maximal health benefits from your garlic eat, don't toss, those sprouted cloves!

By Susan Fluegel, PHD

References:

Zakarova A, Seo JY, Kim HY, Kim JH, Shin JH, Cho KM, Lee CH, Kim JS. Garlic sprouting is associated with increased antioxidant activity and concomitant changes in the metabolite profile. J Agric Food Chem. 2014;62:1875-80. Pubmed. doi: 10.1021/jf500603v