Antidiabetic Effect of Garlic

Diabetes affects a substantial part of the world’s population and, possibly, is the world’s fastest-growing metabolic disease. Garlic, Allium sativum L., Liliaceae, a popular cooking spice with a long history as traditional medicine, has been demonstrated to exhibit antidiabetic properties. Garlic is a rich natural source of bioactive sulfur-containing compounds with potential antidiabetic properties. This review aimed to present a summary of the most recent and relevant literature pertaining to the use of garlic for the prevention and treatment of diabetes, and the potential use of this natural food as complementary or alternative medicine. This review also focuses on the essential biological roles of the bioactive compounds present in garlic in the treatment of diabetes along with identifying and addressing the related pathways related to diabetes regulation. This review further emphasizes the relevance of evidence on garlic’s antidiabetic efficacy in experimentally induced or inherited animal models, as well as human cell line studies, and discusses the mechanisms of action of garlic as both an insulin sensitizer and secretagogue. Conclusions of this review on the therapeutic aspects of garlic and its bioactive compounds highlight the medicinal and folk values of this spice and its active compounds against diabetes. Graphical abstract