Garlic: For Maximum Benefit, Choose the Right Product!

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Garlic: For Maximum Benefit, Choose the Right Product!

 

Introduction

 

http://www.doctormurray.com/articles/garlic.htm

Garlic has been used throughout history virtually all over the world as a

medicine. Its usage predates written history. Sanskrit records document the use

of garlic remedies approximately 5,000 years ago, while the Chinese have been

using it for at least 3,000 years. The Codex Ebers, an Egyptian medical papyrus

dating to about 1,550 B.C., mentions garlic as an effective remedy for a variety

of ailments, including high blood pressure, headache, bites, worms, and tumors.

Hippocrates, Aristotle and Pliny cited numerous therapeutic uses for garlic.

Stories, verse and folklore (such as its alleged ability to ward off vampires)

also give historical documentation to garlic's healing power. Sir John

Harrington in The Englishman's Doctor, written in 1609, summarized garlic's

virtues and faults:

Garlic then have power to save from death Bear with it though it maketh unsavory

breath, And scorn not garlic like some that think It only maketh men wink and

drink and stink.

Another favorite saying about garlic is " Eat garlic and gain your health, but

lose your friends. " Fortunately, there are now commercial preparations that

provide all of the health benefits of garlic without the social consequences.

 

What are the scientifically confirmed effects of garlic?

Garlic has a wide range of well-documented effects including helping to fight

infection and boost immune function; preventing cancer prevention; and the

cardiovascular benefits of lowering cholesterol and blood pressure. All of these

beneficial effects of garlic are attributed to its sulfur-containing compounds:

allicin, diallyl disulfide, diallyl trisulfide, and others. Allicin is mainly

responsible for the pungent odor of garlic. It is formed by the action of the

enzyme alliinase on the compound alliin. The enzyme is activated by heat,

oxygen, or water. This fact accounts for the fact that cooked garlic as well as

" aged garlic preparations " and garlic oil products produce neither as strong an

odor as raw garlic nor nearly as powerful medicinal effects. 1

 

Do " odor controlled " or " odorless " garlic products contain allicin?

Some do and some do not. Since allicin is the component in garlic that is

responsible for its easily identifiable odor, some manufacturers have developed

highly sophisticated methods in an effort to provide the full benefits of garlic

- they provide " odorless " garlic products concentrated for alliin because alliin

is relatively " odorless " until it is converted to allicin in the body. Products

concentrated for alliin and other sulfur components provide all of the benefits

of fresh garlic if they are manufactured properly, but are more " socially

acceptable. "

 

Because alliin and alliinase are very stable when garlic is properly processed,

there is a method to insure that the allicin is not produced until the garlic

powder mixes with the fluids of the intestinal tract. This method is coating the

specially prepared garlic in such a manner so that the tablet does not break

down until after it has passed through the stomach. This method is referred to

as " enteric-coating. "

 

If a non-enteric coated garlic preparation is used, the stomach acid will

destroy the majority of the formed allicin. So, these preparations are not

likely to produce as good of results as a high quality, enteric coated product.

The same can be said for aged garlic and garlic oil products as these forms of

garlic contain absolutely no allicin or allicin degradation products.

 

What should I look for in a garlic supplement?

There are a couple of vital considerations when choosing a garlic product. First

of all, it is important to make sure that the product provides a sufficient

level of allicin. Since allicin is not actually in the product at any

significant levels, manufacturers often refer to the allicin potential or

allicin yield. These terms signify the amount of allicin produced when allinase

is activated in the garlic tablet or powder.

 

The next issue is not so simple to tell from a label. It involves the quality

and character of the enteric coating of the tablet. In order for the allicin to

be liberated within the intestinal tract, the tablet must not only be resistant

to the stomach's acid, it must disintegrate rapidly when it reaches the small

intestine. According to research conducted by the renowned garlic expert, Dr.

Larry D. Lawson, when 24 brands of enteric-coated garlic were analyzed for

tablet dissolution using an approved method (USP dissolution method 724A) only

one brand released the amount of allicin claimed on the label.2 The second best

brand released only 44% of label claim and 75% of the brands released less than

10% of label claim. Failure to deliver an effective dosage of allicin will most

assuredly lead to failure to lower cholesterol or blood pressure.

 

Why did so many garlic products fail to deliver allicin?

Dr. Lawson discovered that there were basically two major problems. First of

all, many of the garlic products contained little allinase activity. There was

plenty of alliin, but since the activity of allinase was low the level of

allicin formed was also low. Next, Dr. Lawson found that many of the tablets

contained excipients (e.g., binders and fillers) that actually inhibit allinase

activity. The allinase activity in 63% of the brands was less than 10% of

expected activity. The inability to release an effective dose of allicin would

explain why so many of the studies with garlic supplements fail to show benefit

in lowering cholesterol or blood pressure.3 For example, studies done with one

particular garlic supplement prior to 1993 were mostly positive. In fact, the

results from these positive studies were the main reason garlic supplements have

been allowed in German and in the U.S. to refer to cholesterol lowering

activity. However, studies published since 1995 have failed to show

a consistent effect in lowering cholesterol. 4

 

While the authors of the negative studies on garlic have felt that the

underlying reason for the results was a better-designed study, a more likely

explanation is that they are due to a poorer quality tablet. Specifically,

research conducted by Dr. Lawson has shown that tablets manufactured before 1993

were twice as resistant to disintegration in acid as tablets manufactured after

1993 and that the older tablets released three times the amount of allicin as

the more recently manufactured tablets.3 Examination of the package labels shows

several changes in tablet excipients between the pre- and post 1993 tablets.

Again, these excipients are believed to block allinase activity.

 

Can garlic really lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels?

Yes, but there are some important caveats as mentioned above. The studies

showing a positive effect of garlic and garlic preparations are those that

deliver a sufficient dosage of allicin. The negative studies do not. In the

positive double-blind studies in patients with initial cholesterol levels

greater than 200 mg/dl, supplementation with garlic preparations providing a

daily dose of at least 10 mg alliin or a total allicin potential of 4,000 mcg

total serum cholesterol levels dropped by about 10% to 12%, LDL cholesterol

decreased by about 15%, HDL cholesterol levels usually increased by about 10%,

and triglyceride levels dropped by 15%.4-9 Blood pressure readings also dropped

with typical reductions of 11 mm Hg for the systolic and 5.0 in the diastolic

within a one to three month period. 10,11

 

What About Aged Garlic?

Since aged garlic does not contain allicin, it does not produce any significant

benefits on either blood pressure or cholesterol levels.12 It may provide some

other benefits on the cardiovascular system, but the significance of these

effects has not been fully evaluated.

 

What brand do you recommend?

Based upon Dr. Lawson's new research as well as the research conducted by

Natural Factors, I am now endorsing Garlic Factors. I feel that it gives a

person the best chance of getting all the benefits of fresh garlic minus the

odor.

 

How much garlic do I need?

Based on the results of the positive clinical trials, the dosage of a commercial

garlic product should provide a daily dose of at least 10 mg alliin or a total

allicin potential of 4,000 mcg. This dosage equates to roughly one to four

cloves of fresh garlic. Each tablet of Garlic Factors provides 8,250 mcg of

allicin - making it the highest potency garlic product on the market. But, the

real advantage of Garlic Factors is the fact that it is manufactured by Natural

Factors - the experts in effective natural products. As a result, you are

assured that Garlic Factors has been designed to produce results.

 

Is garlic safe?

Garlic preparations taken orally, even " odorless " products, can produce a garlic

odor on the breath and through the skin. Gastrointestinal irritation and nausea

are the most frequent side effects. Beware of the propaganda on the dangers of

allicin. I do not argue that acute and prolonged feeding of large amounts of raw

garlic to rats results in anemia, weight loss and failure to grow, and even

death.13,14 However, the dosages of fresh garlic used in these studies to

produce these toxic effects were incredibly high, e.g., 500 mg of fresh garlic

per 100 g of body weight.

 

Does garlic interact with any drugs?

Theoretically, garlic preparations may potentiate the effects of the blood

thinning drug Coumadin® (warfarin) as well as enhance the antiplatelet effects

of drugs like aspirin and Ticlid® (ticlopidine). If you are taking these drugs,

please consult a physician before taking a garlic product. Garlic may also

increase the effectiveness of drugs that lower blood sugar levels in the

treatment of non-insulin dependent diabetes (type 2 diabetes) such as glyburide

(Diabeta, Micronase). Consult a physician to discuss proper monitoring of blood

sugar levels before taking a garlic product.

 

References:

 

Koch H and Lawson L (eds.): Garlic: The Science and Therapeutic Application

of Allium Sativum L and Related Species, 2nd Edition. Williams & Wilkins,

Baltimore, MD, 1996.

Lawson LD and Wang ZJ. Tablet quality: A major problem in clinical trials

with garlic supplements. Forsch Kmplmentaermed 7:45, 2000.

Lawson LD, Wang ZJ and Papdimitrou D. Allicin release under simulated

gastrointestinal conditions from garlic powder tablets employed in clinical

trials on serum cholesterol. Planta Medica 2001;67:13-18.

Stevinson C, Pittler MH and Erst E. Garlic for treating hypercholesterolemia:

A meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials. Ann Intern Med 133:420-9, 2000.

Kleijnen J, et al.: Garlic, onions and cardiovascular risk factors: A review

of the evidence from human experiments with emphasis on commercially available

preparations. Br J Clin Pharmacol 28:535-44, 1989.

Warshafsky S, Kamer RS and Sivak SL: Effect of garlic on total serum

cholesterol. Ann Intern Med 119:599-605, 1993.

Jain AK, et al.: Can garlic reduce levels of serum lipids? A controlled

clinical study. Am J Med 94:632-5, 1993.

Rotzch W, et al.: Postprandial lipaemia under treatment with Allium sativum.

Controlled double-blind study in healthy volunteers with reduced HDL2-

cholesterol levels. Arzneim Forsch 42:1223-7, 1992.

Mader FH: Treatment of hyperlipidemia with garlic-powder tablets. Arzneim

Forsch 40:1111-6, 1990.

Silagy CA and Neil HA: A meta-analysis of the effect of garlic on blood

pressure. J Hypertens 12:463-8, 1994.

Reuter HD: Allium sativum and Allium ursinum: Part 2. Pharmacology and

medicinal application. Phytomed 2:73-91, 1995.

Steiner M, et al.: A double-blind crossover study in moderately

hypercholesterolemic men that compared the effect of aged garlic extract and

placebo administration on blood lipids. Am J Clin Nutr 64:866-70, 1996.

Nakagawa S, et al.: Effect of raw and extracted-aged garlic juice on growth

of young rats and their organs after perioral administration. J Toxicol Sci

5:91-112, 1980.

Joseph PK, Rao KR and Sundaresh CS. Toxic effects of garlic extract and

garlic oil in rats. Indian J Exp Biol 27:977-9, 1989.

 

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