It may be handy for killing vampires , but garlic can keep humans alive in more ways than one , researchers have found . They say a nutrient in garlic offers the brain protection against ageing and disease . It could even prevent age-related neurological diseases such as Alzheimer 's and Parkinson 's . Scroll down for video . Missouri researchers say a nutrient in garlic offers the brain protection against ageing and disease - and could even prevent use from Alzheimer 's and Parkinson 's . The University of Missouri researchers found a carbohydrate in the superfood is key . 'Garlic is one of the most widely consumed dietary supplements , ' said Zezong Gu , associate professor of pathology and anatomical sciences at the MU School of Medicine and lead author of the study . 'Most people think of it as a 'superfood , ' because garlic 's sulfur-containing compounds are known as an excellent source of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory protection . A thousand year-old potion made out of onions , garlic , wine and bile from a cow 's stomach can kill hospital superbugs , scientists claim . The potent 10th century brew - used by Anglo Saxons to treat a stye ( an abscess on the eyelid ) destroyed 90 per cent of the bacteria on scraps of skin taken from mice with MRSA . Interestingly , the ingredients had little effect unless they were all brought together into the concoction , the study by Nottingham University researchers found . 'Scientists are still discovering different ways garlic benefits the human body , ' he said . 'Our research focused on a carbohydrate derivative of garlic known as FruArg and the role this nutrient plays in protective responses . ' Gu 's team looked at the nutrient 's ability to inhibit ― and even possibly reverse ― brain cell damage caused by environmental stress . Environmental stress could include the aging process , smoking , pollution , traumatic brain injury or excessive alcohol consumption . 'Microglia are immune cells in the brain and spinal cord that are the first and main line of defense in the central nervous system , ' Gu said . 'Unlike other mature brain cells that seldom regenerate themselves , microglial cells respond to inflammation and environmental stresses by multiplying . 'By massing themselves and migrating toward an injury site , they are able to respond to inflammation and protect other brain cells from destruction . ' However , increasing the number of microglial cells wo n't provide age-defying protection for the brain , Gu said . In fact , it can do more harm than good . 'Although important to brain cell health , microglial cells also produce nitric oxide in reaction to their function as protectors , ' Gu said . 'If we simply increased the number of microglial cells , we also would increase the amount of nitric oxide in the brain . 'Excessive production of nitric oxide leads to brain cell damage and promotes neurodegenerative diseases such as cerebral ischemia , Parkinson 's disease and Alzheimer 's disease . However , the nutrient FruArg may provide an answer to this reactive dilemma . Gu 's team looked at the nutrient 's ability to inhibit ― and even possibly reverse ― brain cell damage caused by environmental stress . By creating a cell model of neurological stress and monitoring microglial cell function , Gu 's team was able to study FruArg 's contribution to brain health . 'When stress was applied to the model , there was an expected increase in microglial cells and their byproduct , nitric oxide , ' Gu said . 'However , once we applied FruArg , the microglial cells adapted to the stress by reducing the amount of nitric oxide they produced . 'Additionally , FruArg promoted the production of antioxidants , which offered protective and healing benefits to other brain cells . 'This helps us understand how garlic benefits the brain by making it more resilient to the stress and inflammation associated with neurological diseases and aging . ' In the future , Gu and his colleagues hope to study the effects of FruArg on other cells in the body associated with conditions such as heart disease , diabetes and cancer .
Nutrient in garlic offers the brain barrier against cancer and disease . garlic even cure diseases such as Alzheimer 's and Parkinson 's .