Dr. Mercola August 27 2000 3,796 views
For centuries, people have relied on the power of garlic for everything from enhancing athletic performance to thinning blood. In recent times, researchers have uncovered what is perhaps garlic's most important effect: lowering the risk of heart disease.
New reasearch focused on studies investigating the effect of garlic on risk factors for heart disease.
They found several studies which suggest that garlic may:
lower total cholesterol
lower LDL ("bad") cholesterol
lower blood pressure
help keep blood thin, reducing the risk of blood clots and stroke,
function as an antioxidant.
There are also some preliminary findings suggesting that garlic may lower elevated serum levels of homocysteine.
These effects are wide-ranging and likely result from several different mechanisms. Below are some of the proposed mechanisms of action of garlic on improving the various cardiovascular risk factors.
Garlic may lower cholesterol by inhibiting the enzymes HMG-CoA reductase or squalene epoxidase.
Lowering of blood pressure likely results from inhibition of angiotensin-converting enzyme activity.
Antithrombosis effects may be related to inhibition of adenosine deaminase.
Antioxidant effects may be related to the inhibition of lipoxygenase.
"The published studies in their aggregate suggest that appropriate usage of allium derivatives from garlic may potentially play a role in the maintenance of optimal cardiac function," according to Michelle H. Loy and Dr. Richard S. Rivlin of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and Weill Medical College of Cornell University in New York.
Nutrition in Clinical Care August 2000;3:145-152.
Garlic is one of my favorite foods. The only limitation is it's social offensiveness if consumed in too large a quantity. Garlic is also very easy to grow. We are getting close to the planting season though. Most people don't know that you need to plant the garlic bulbs in October BEFORE winter so they can grow all winter and can be harvested in June or July. So if you have some gardening space, consider growing some garlic. Once harvested it can last for more than a year. The only trick is to dry it properly. I use a temperature-controlled dehydrator (1-800-572-95490) and dry it at 95 degrees. But one can just hang it to dry in the garage if need be.
Related Article:
Garlic's Antimicrobial and Cholesterol Lowering Effects