--- title: VIDEO: What Causes Garlic Breath? description: And, no, the answer isn't as simple as just "garlic". canonical: https://time.com/2849572/heres-why-you-get-garlic-breath/ author: TIME Video article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-06-09T20:10:57.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-01T08:57:25.320Z article:section: Health og:title: VIDEO: What Causes Garlic Breath? og:description: And, no, the answer isn't as simple as just "garlic". og:url: https://time.com/2849572/heres-why-you-get-garlic-breath/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt38784613657e56fb/698696d3810bbb4be5c92186/garlic720.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1280 og:image:height: 720 og:image:alt: Garlic Breath og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: VIDEO: What Causes Garlic Breath? twitter:description: And, no, the answer isn't as simple as just "garlic". twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt38784613657e56fb/698696d3810bbb4be5c92186/garlic720.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Here's Why You Get Garlic Breath > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=b54f6740-dcc1-47a5-ba32-707fff450468&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: What Causes Garlic Breath? [Watch (HLS stream): What Causes Garlic Breath?](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/SjeOdV0s.m3u8) (1:35)  _Published 2014-06-09. From the American Chemical Society_ by [TIME Video](https://time.com/author/time-video/) ## TIME Video Jun 9, 2014 8:10 PM UTC by [TIME Video](https://time.com/author/time-video/) ## TIME Video Jun 9, 2014 8:10 PM UTC Garlic tastes good to eat, and it’s good for you — so how does it turn in to such a date-night killer after you’ve consumed it? The folks at the American Chemical Society and chemistry blog [Compound Interest](http://www.compoundchem.com/2014/05/05/what-compounds-cause-garlic-breath-the-chemistry-of-garlic/) have done the research and narrowed it down to four volatile organic compounds. Strangely enough, none of these compounds are present in garlic until it is broken down or chopped, but when garlic’s structure is damaged, enzymes convert the compound Allin to Allicin, which is responsible for the smell. Allin then breaks down in to the four compounds and one of those – Allyl Methyl Sulfide – breaks down much more slowly and as the compound gets in to your bloodstream, the only ways it can excrete are through urine, sweat, or breath. There is a fix however – if you want to mask your garlic breath, your best options are milk, or parsley. ## Transcript This week on Reactions, we're talking garlic. And hey, it's good for your taste buds and good for your body but you gotta wonder, how can something that adds such a brilliant flavor to food leave you with such rank breath after you eat it? Our buddies over at Compound Interest have some answers for us. So sit back, get peeling and get ready for some hard chemistry facts about garlic. Garlic contains four major volatile organic compounds that are responsible for that notorious garlic breath. Interestingly enough, none of these compounds are present in garlic until it's crushed up or chopped. When garlic's structure's damaged, enzymes convert the compound Alliin to Allicin which is responsible for garlic's distinct smell. Allicin is then broken down to the four compounds that were just mentioned. Once you take your first bite, the allyl methyl sulfide compound is broken down in your body much slower than the rest of the gang. So it's mostly responsible for the garlic breath. This compound is then passed into your bloodstream and organs is excreted when you sweat, breathe, and when you have to pee. But, hey, if you're worried about garlic breath, try eating some parsley or drinking milk. These two foods are actually no one to reduce garlic breath. There's also more to garlic than its delicious flavor and accompanying bad breath. You may have heard people tell you that garlic is good for your health. Well, they're right. Garlic carries antibacterial properties and three come pounds in particular do the dirty work. Sulfur- containing organic compounds like these can penetrate the cell membranes of bacteria cells and combine with certain enzymes or proteins to alter their structure, which ultimately damages the cells. 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