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Heart Disease Prevention - The Science of Garlic By Decker Weiss: NMD, AACVPR

http://heartspring.net/heart_disease_prevention.html

 

Today, garlic is one of the most researched plant medicines. By 1996,

more than 1,800 scientific studies had investigated garlic's medicinal

properties.

Through these studies, garlic has been verified as an

important natural supplement in the treatment of many health problems.

 

Why is garlic so beneficial?

 

Garlic chemistry is very complex. It's rich in many active components,

including 75 different sulfur compounds. Allicin, the substance that

gives garlic its characteristic odor (and to those who partake of its

goodness —garlic breath) is the compound that's most prized. Most garlic

 

producers strive to grow garlic plants with a high allicin yield.

Without allicin, garlic might not have any benefit at all.

 

However, as important as allicin is to garlic growers and harvesters

alike, the concentration of allicin in an intact clove of garlic is

astonishingly small. This is because allicin is protected in the clove

by cell walls.

 

It is only after the cell walls are crushed or cut that

garlic cloves release their allicin.

 

While allicin itself has beneficial health effects, its greatest

strength is in what it yields.

 

Once allicin is released, many compounds are formed. These compounds

are responsible for most of garlic's health

benefits. Allicin itself is highly unstable. In fact, allicin cannot

be detected in the bloodstream or urine at any time after eating

garlic.

 

Allicin is also destroyed by stomach acid.

 

Many commercial garlic products are enteric-coated. The tablets go

through the stomach intact without dissolving.

 

This delivers the garlic tablet to the small intestine, where the tablet

dissolves and releases its allicin. From the

small intestine, allicin's many compounds are formed and then enter the

bloodstream. This form of supplementation also avoids the development of

garlic breath.

 

Is it true that garlic is good for the heart?

 

Garlic has many beneficial properties that improve the health of the

heart and circulation. These include:

 

antioxidant activity

anti-clotting agents

inhibition of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries)

 

reducing " bad " cholesterol levels in the blood

raising " good " cholesterol levels in the blood

 

lowering blood pressure

 

Recently, there have been some reports in the news that discount

garlic's ability to lower cholesterol. Why is there such a difference in

garlic research results?

 

Prior to 1995, studies consistently concluded garlic lowered cholesterol

levels. However, since 1995, many clinical trials have concluded garlic

has no effect in lowering cholesterol levels in the blood. Researchers,

concerned about these findings decided to determine why this occurred.

 

The researchers, under the direction of Dr. Larry D. Lawson, examined

the garlic supplements used in the studies that found no beneficial

effect. One such study published in The Journal of the American Medical

Association in 1998, concluded that garlic had no effect on serum

cholesterol.

 

While allicin cannot be detected in blood or urine, it can be detected

in the breath. Using the exact products previously studied (same lot

numbers and year of manufacture), Dr. Lawson measured the JAMA study's

test product, a garlic oil. When Dr. Lawson tested study subject's

breath after taking the garlic oil, minimal allicin was detected.

 

However, when Dr. Lawson " encapsulated " the same oil in gelatin capsules

and had study subjects swallow the capsules, the same oil produced three

times as much allicin.

 

A recent meta-analysis (a large review study of several other studies

with statistical analysis) of clinical trials concluded the use of

garlic to lower cholesterol was, at best, of questionable value. Most of

the studies published after 1995 that concluded garlic had no effect on

serum cholesterol used " non-enteric-coated " tablets.

 

Dr. Lawson studied the tablets used in these trials and determined the

tablets " dissolved " in the stomach. The allicin was released too early,

was destroyed by stomach acid, and never reached the bloodstream.

 

Dr. Lawson concluded the trials used poor-quality products. He further

concluded that when enteric coated tablets are manufactured using garlic

containing high allicin potential, serum cholesterol lowering effect

should be noted. He urged new clinical trials with such supplements.

 

There has also been some controversy comparing the effectiveness of

supplements made with fresh garlic and those made from aged garlic

extract.

 

Is there any way to determine which type of garlic supplement is the

most effective?

 

Some manufacturers of garlic supplements believe allicin is not the

effective compound in garlic. These companies manufacture aged-garlic

extract (AGE) products. They have initiated, funded, and conducted many

studies regarding the safety of garlic juice, garlic powder, and

enteric-coated garlic tablets. The studies have compared these products

to their AGE products.

 

The studies frequently conclude fresh garlic and

enteric-coated garlic are harmful to stomach lining and can cause

ulcers.

 

However, recently at the American Herbal Products Association's

International Garlic Symposium, several noted garlic researchers and

experts disagreed with these findings.

 

During a roundtable discussion, the consensus determined there have been

no successful independent replications of the AGE studies.

 

Furthermore, the roundtable concluded that several ethnic groups consume

large amounts of raw garlic every day without any associated ill

effects. There has never been a clinically noted association of garlic

consumption and ulcer formation. And, finally, the scientists questioned

 

the validity of the study results due to " sponsor-associated bias " .

 

What evidence is there for the anticancer benefits of garlic?

 

Much research has examined garlic's role in the inhibition and

prevention of various types of cancer. Some of these studies have

evolved from the observations that certain ethnic groups who eat a lot

of garlic in their diet have a low incidence of certain types of

cancers.

 

In a recent meta-analysis, the authors concluded garlic was especially

effective in preventing stomach and colon cancers.

 

Are there any other scientifically documented health benefits to garlic?

 

Garlic is a powerful detoxifying agent that can protect against various

liver toxins.

 

In an experimental study, garlic protected against acetaminophen

(Tylenol®)-induced liver toxicity.23 This means that

individuals who are taking Tylenol® may find garlic is beneficial.

 

Garlic can also kill harmful bacteria, fungi, and viruses.

 

Is there a recommended daily dosage for allicin?

 

Based on a great deal of clinical research, a medically validated

commercial garlic product should provide a daily dose of a total allicin

potential of 4,000 micrograms (mcg). This dosage equates to roughly one

to four cloves of fresh garlic.

 

Be sure to read labels; demand products that deliver a guaranteed yield

of allicin and are enteric-coated to prevent premature release in the

stomach.

 

Conclusion

Garlic is indeed a unique plant. It has a long and colorful history as

both food and medicine, and is highly valued as both. Scientific study

has provided understanding of the many benefits of garlic as a

supplement. And, most importantly, many loyal enthusiasts worldwide

attest to healthier hearts and improved lives simply from using garlic

supplements.

 

 

 

--

Diana Gonzalez

 

 

 

 

Nothing wastes more energy than worrying - the longer a problem is

carried, the heavier it gets. Don't take things too seriously - live a

life of serenity, not a life of regrets.

-Unknown

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