Garlic's Secret

JOHN MILNER, PH.D., a nutritionist at Penn State University, set out to discover why cooking garlic destroys its medicinal value. He fed one group of rats fresh-peeled, raw garlic and fed another group garlic that was peeled, then cooked. He then exposed both groups to a carcinogen. The fresh garlic blocked the carcinogen's effect, but the cooked version didn't. Then he added another variable--time. He peeled the garlic as usual, but then let the cloves sit for 10 minutes before cooking. This cooked garlic did protect the rats from the carcinogen.

According to Milner, when you peel garlic you release an enzyme called allinase, which triggers a series of chemical reactions giving garlic its healing properties. Oxygen activates allinase, while heat inactivates it, so when you peel the garlic and immediately toss it in the pan, you're not giving the healing compounds a chance to form.

COPYRIGHT 1999 Weider Publications
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