Although eating garlic is associated with bad breath, it has been used for centuries as an herbal medicine to treat several health conditions, including diarrhea, fever and swollen joints. Garlic contains allicin, a potent antioxidant responsible for most of its effects. Incorporating garlic or aged garlic extract into your daily diet may improve heart health.
BLOOD PRESSURE
High blood pressure impairs blood vessel function, which disrupts nutrient flow to your heart. In addition, hypertension makes your heart work harder to pump blood through the body. This increases your risk for heart disease and heart attack. Researchers at the Clinical Research Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, discovered that garlic was effective in reducing blood pressure in patients with severe hypertension, according to research reported in “Pharmacotherapy.”
HIGH CHOLESTEROL
Although cholesterol has several functions in your body, excess cholesterol is deposited inside artery walls where it forms plaque, which reduces blood flow to your heart. Over time, plaque formation can lead to a heart attack or heart disease. Scientists at Pennsylvania State University concluded that men with high cholesterol taking aged garlic extract experienced decreases in cholesterol levels compared with those who had a placebo. The findings were published in the “Journal of Nutrition.”
BLOOD VESSEL FUNCTION
Researchers at the University of Otago in New Zealand studied the impact of aged garlic extract on blood vessel function in coronary artery disease patients. They assigned patients aged garlic extract or a placebo daily for two weeks. At the end of the study, which was published in the April issue of “Phytotherapy Research,” scientists found that those in the aged extract group experienced improvements in blood vessel function and increases in blood flow.
INTERACTIONS
Garlic may interfere with certain medications, including antiplatelet medications and blood-thinners, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Consult your health care provider before taking garlic.