Medicinal Claims: Garlic reduces clotting tendencies

[Guest guest]

Medicinal Claims: Garlic reduces clotting tendencies

JoAnn Guest Apr 30, 2005 14:44 PDT

=====================================================================

Background: Garlic has long been used in cooking and in medicine. When a garlic

bulb is cut or crushed, an amino acid by-product called allicin is released.

 

Allicin is responsible for garlic's strong odor and

medicinal properties.

 

Medicinal Claims: Garlic reduces the clotting tendency of platelets.

Because garlic stops microorganisms (such as bacteria) from reproducing, it can

be used as an antiseptic and antibacterial.

 

In large doses, garlic can reduce blood pressure, overactivity of the intestine,

and blood sugar levels (slightly).

 

Advocates suggest that garlic lowers levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL)

cholesterol—the " bad " cholesterol.

Preparations formulated to have little or no odor may be inactive and need to be

studied.

Possible Side Effects: Garlic usually has no harmful effects other than making

the breath or body smell like garlic.

However, consuming large amounts can cause nausea and burning in the

mouth, esophagus, and stomach.

Garlic may interact with anticoagulants.

 

http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec02/ch019/ch019i.html

=====================================================================

Fresh or capsuled? Stanford researcher studies garlic's potency as a

supplement

=====================================================================

http://www.stanfordhospital.com/newsEvents/newsReleases/2003/01/garlic.html

 

 

For Release: 1/16/03

To volunteer for the study, call: (650) 725-5018

 

Media Contact: Sara Selis

sel-

(650) 723-7798

 

 

Broadcast Contact: Neale Mulligan

nea-

(650) 724-2454

 

 

Main News Office: (650) 723-6911

 

STANFORD, Calif. -- What good is garlic? And to reap any benefits,

should you eat it in its odiferous fresh form or will a stink-free

capsule suffice? Christopher Gardner, PhD, a researcher at the Stanford

Center for Research in Disease Prevention, is on a mission to find out.

 

Thanks to a grant from the National Institutes of Health, Gardner is

conducting the most rigorous study ever to address a lingering

controversy in the nutritional-supplement field: whether fresh garlic

and garlic supplements -- a widely consumed herbal supplement -- lower

cholesterol as claimed.

 

In preparation for the study -- which is seeking volunteers and entails

eating gourmet sandwiches six days a week -- Gardner's staff spent two

weeks peeling, mashing and measuring 150 pounds of fresh garlic. That's

on top of the weeks they spent taste-testing a dozen custom-made

sandwiches ranging from Portobello mushroom to chicken quesadilla.

 

The Stanford study differs greatly from the dozens of garlic studies

conducted over the past four decades, Gardner explained. While previous

studies tested different garlic preparations with inconsistent and often

inadequate potency, the Stanford researchers know the exact chemical

composition of the garlic preparations they're using and will monitor

this throughout the study with periodic chemical analyses. And unlike

previous studies, which tested just one garlic type, the Stanford study

will evaluate the effects of two top-selling garlic supplements along

with fresh garlic.

 

" This study goes far beyond the other trials, because we know exactly

what we're giving participants, " said Gardner, assistant professor of

medicine. " These results should help set the record straight. "

 

For centuries, garlic has been touted for its disease-fighting

properties. The most commonly claimed benefit is reduced cholesterol,

although garlic is also said to reduce blood pressure, boost

antioxidants and reduce the risk of certain cancers. Seeking such

benefits without eating (or smelling like) garlic, millions of Americans

take garlic supplements -- pills containing powdered garlic or

aged-garlic extract.

 

Meanwhile, researchers sought to determine whether garlic deserves its

reputation. More than two dozen studies in the 1970s and 1980s claimed

to prove that garlic lowers cholesterol, but those studies were later

criticized for poor design. They involved too few participants or didn't

include a control group, for example. When more rigorous studies were

conducted in the 1990s, most concluded that garlic offered little to no

significant benefit.

 

Gardner said the question remains unsettled because chemical analyses

conducted by Larry Lawson, PhD, a biochemist and co-investigator on

Stanford's study, revealed serious flaws in the formulations of the

garlic supplements used in past studies. The key issue is allicin, an

enzyme that is garlic's active ingredient. When a person eats fresh

garlic, allicin is released by chewing or mincing the herb. It's more

challenging to get allicin from a garlic pill, however. In some cases,

if the pills dissolve in the stomach, the garlic enzyme needed to

produce allicin becomes inactivated. Some pills, meanwhile, have an

enteric coating, and these pills often pass through the body

undissolved. " The problem is, all these studies didn't really test

garlic - they tested garlic supplements, " Gardner said. " That's not the

same as eating garlic. "

 

To select the fresh garlic for the study, Gardner traveled to Gilroy,

Calif., the nation's " garlic capital. " An eight-person team spent two

weeks peeling and mashing the garlic, then scooping it into 5-gram

containers. The pre-measured garlic portions will be spread onto the

gourmet " study sandwiches " that participants in the " fresh garlic group "

must eat six days a week. All other participants must eat the sandwiches

as well, but minus the garlic. The six types of sandwiches used in the

study were chosen in taste tests from a larger sample all

custom-prepared by a chef. " This isn't your typical clinical trial. It's

a lot of fun, " Gardner said.

 

Participants in the Stanford study -- 200 healthy adults with moderately

elevated cholesterol -- will consume the sandwiches along with study

tablets for six months. Random assignment will be used to determine

which combination of sandwich and pill will b given to each participant

in the trial.

 

Participants' cholesterol, blood pressure, blood-clotting ability and

antioxidant levels will be monitored periodically. Volunteers must be

between ages 30 and 65 and in good health but have moderately elevated

cholesterol (LDL of 130-190). And, they must agree to eat their allotted

" study sandwiches " six days a week. " We only want people who like our

sandwiches, " Gardner said, adding, " We've gone to enormous lengths to

make sure they're excellent. " Interested volunteers should call (650)

725-5018.

_________________

====================================================================

Post subject: Garlic

 

 

Garlic

http://www.foodwatch.com.au/garlic.html

 

A major ingredient of Mediterranean and Asian cooking, garlic (Allium

sativum) has long had a reputation as a folk medicine. As long ago as

3,000 BC, garlic was consumed as a medicinal and revered by the ancient

Egyptians, Greeks, Vikings and Chinese.

The slaves who toiled to build the Great Pyramid kept their strength up

with a ration of garlic and onion each day. Traditional Chinese medicine

used garlic for the treatment of colds, coughs, bronchitis,

tuberculosis, diarrhoea, dysentery and many other infectious disease.

 

Only in recent times have garlic's powers been supported by scientific

and medical research. Pasteur first documented its broad-spectrum

anti-bacterial activity in 1858, which gave it the oft-quoted title of

" nature's penicillin " . Today research has proven that garlic can slow

the growth of harmful bacteria, yeasts and fungi. (It is yet to be

proven that garlic can keep vampires at bay!).

 

But, for it to be effective, garlic must be consumed fresh. Many garlic

devotees chop one or two cloves finely and simply swallow them with the

help of a glass of juice; others prefer to add the raw garlic to salads

and enjoy it with a meal.

 

Garlic and your heart

Garlic has many benefits for the heart. It not only lowers high blood

pressure and the harmful LDL-cholesterol, it can also keep your blood

free-flowing and help dissolve clots. In both humans and animals, garlic

juice has been shown to reduce the build-up of fats in the bloodstream

after a fatty meal.

 

The dose required, however, is reported to be quite large - 10 to 20

grams of fresh garlic (2 to 4 cloves) or 600 to 900mg of powdered garlic

daily. Smaller quantities do not produce the same effect, but

nevertheless provide several other good benefits.

 

Garlic contains a variety of natural anti-oxidants that help keep the

heart healthy and protect against the formation of dangerous free

radicals. Preliminary studies report that it can ward off cancer of the

stomach and the colon.

 

 

Back to top

 

Sulphurous smells

Although about 200 compounds have been identified in garlic, the most

intensively studied have been its sulphur-containing compounds alliin,

allicin and diallyl sulphide.

 

Alliin present in fresh garlic is converted to allicin once a clove is

cut or crushed. Allicin is responsible for much of garlic’s reknowned

aroma and flavour. Once formed, however, allicin gradually deteriorates

to become diallyl sulphide together with ammonia and pyruvic acid.

 

Whether garlic's strong-smelling sulphur compounds are the active agent

is not fully known (some believe garlic's natural oil which is high in

polyunsaturates could also be responsible), but garlic and its relatives

onion, leeks and chives deserve pride of place in our kitchen.

 

Which type of garlic

Fresh garlic is always the best choice and must be used if you are

seeking its anti-bacterial or anti-viral properties.

 

For therapeutic purposes such as lowering cholesterol, you would need to

eat quite large amounts over and above what is eaten on a normal diet.

Tablets, dried garlic powder, capsules and aged extract make it easier

to take in larger amounts, but unfortunately, lack of standardisation

has made it difficult to compare the different preparations in terms of

their clinical effectiveness.

 

Manufacturers have agreed to standardise different preparations in terms

of their potential to produce allicin in the body. Allicin is now

considered the marker compound for judging garlic preparations.

 

Most odourless garlic tablets have lost some of garlic's health

properties - it seems the sulphurous smell is part of the healthy-giving

process!

 

Back to top

 

Summary -- Making the most of garlic

 

The real thing is the best. Fresh garlic is probably the best way to

take garlic - if you can swallow it.- and has the stongest

anti-bacterial and anti-viral action.

If you’re taking garlic tablets, check for a reputable brand that lists

the amount of allicin it can produce in the body.

Odorless garlic tablets are a waste of money. It appears that whatever

is in the smell is also responsible for garlic’s reputation.

Garlic breath

Garlic heightens the flavour of food, but it's one big drawback is that

it's pungent odour lingers on your breath. Raw garlic has a stronger

odour than cooked garlic which is often quite mild-tasting.

 

Chewing fresh parsley or fennel seeds or peppermints is said to

neutralise the odour, but none of these really work. Individuals vary

greatly in their retention of the garlic smell on their breath and

perspiration.

 

The best way to avoid bad breath is to make sure everyone else eats

garlic so no-one will notice!

 

 

 

© Catherine Saxelby

 

Key references

Silagy NA,Garlic as a lipid lowering agent - a meta analysis. J R Coll

Physicians Lond 1994:28:39-45.

 

Adler AJ & Holub BJ, Effect of garlic and fish oil suplementation on

serus lipid and lipoprotein concentrations in hypercholesterolemic men.

Am J Clin Nutr 1997:65:445-50.

 

Steiner M, Hakim Khan A, Holbert D & Lin RI, 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 1996;64:866-70.

 

====================================================================

Post subject: GARLIC-THE BOUNTIFUL BULB

--------------------------------

 

GARLIC-THE BOUNTIFUL BULB

by Carmia Borek, Ph.D.

 

http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2000/jan00-report.html

 

Can a clove of garlic a day keep the doctor away? Can an odor-free

supplement be as good or even better? Garlic has been an important part

of life for centuries, across cultures and millennia. In fact, no other

single food has had as many applications as this pungent plant. Garlic

has been used to spice food, protect against vampires and witches,

prepare soldiers for war, cure colds, heal infections, and treat

ailments ranging from heart disease to cancer and even the plague.

 

Today, after close to 6000 years of folklore, scientific research shows

that garlic is an amazing resource of phytochemicals (botanicals) whose

wide range of actions can benefit health. Studies show that garlic

protects against infection and inflammation, lowers the risk of heart

disease, and has anticancer and antiaging effects. Scientific studies

also show that garlic does not have to be eaten raw or fresh to be

effective. The potent odor of garlic may not be necessary for its health

benefits. Research shows that aged, deodorized garlic extract sometimes

works even better than fresh garlic without causing digestive disorders

and " garlic breath " that may haunt the fresh garlic eater.

 

A history of garlic

 

Long before humans began keeping written records, garlic, found in the

wild, was cultivated for human use. Though the exact geographic origin

of garlic is not known, modern botanists think it came from Central

Asia, some say Siberia. The plant, with its pungent flavored bulb, was

transported West and East by migrating tribes, becoming native to

Mediterranean regions of Europe, Asia and Africa as well as China and

other countries in the Far East.

 

Garlic-Allium sativum-is a hardy perennial plant that belongs to the

lily family, as do onions, leeks, shallots and chives. However, garlic

contains a number of organosulfur substances with medicinal properties

that are unique to garlic. The history of garlic stretches far back, to

a time when people who foraged in the fields for food and healing herbs

came across garlic and cultivated it for their use. Remnants of garlic

have been found in cave dwellings that are over 10,000 years old.

Egyptian tombs, dating back to close to 5700 years ago, were found to

contain sketches of garlic and clay sculptures of the bulb. The ancient

Egyptian text Codex Ebers details formulas with garlic as remedies for

heart problems, headaches, tumors and other ailments.

 

Chinese writings dating from 2700 B.C. describe garlic for treating many

ailments and for enhancing vigor. In India, Ayurvedic medicine

recommends garlic to boost energy and treat colds and fatigue.

 

In modern times garlic has become popular as a healing herb in some

Asian and European countries. In certain parts of China people eat about

20 grams of garlic a day, approximately 8 medium size cloves. In

Germany, most adults take a daily garlic supplement to promote health.

In the United States the use of garlic preparations as supplements has

been rapidly escalating in recent years.

 

The chemistry of garlic is complex, with over 100 different compounds

that contribute to its effects. The most important and unique feature is

its high content of organosulfur substances. Garlic contains at least

four times more sulfur than other high sulfur vegetables-onion, broccoli

and cauliflower.

 

Water soluble sulfur compounds

 

From a medicinal point of view, the most important organosulfur

substances are water soluble S-allyl compounds, including S-allyl

cysteine and other sulfur amino acids that are increased by aging garlic

extract. Stable, odorless and safe, with high antioxidant activity,

S-allyl cysteine easily gets into the circulatory system from the gut

(highly bioavailable), with an absorption of close to 90%. S-allyl

cysteine has been shown to slightly reduce blood cholesterol levels,

protect cells from toxic chemicals, prevent cancer in laboratory animals

and stop the growth of prostate cancer cells and breast cancer cells, in

culture. Its high antioxidant activity provides it with the potential to

fight oxidant-related damage that leads to heart disease, cancer and

aging.

 

Oil-soluble sulfur compounds

 

Whole garlic cloves contain very small amount of oil-soluble sulfur

compounds. However, once the cloves are cut or macerated, oil-soluble

sulfur compounds are produced through enzymatic reactions. Upon crushing

or chopping garlic, alliin-a sulfur containing compound that is found in

the whole clove-is converted by the enzyme alliinase to a volatile

compound called allicin, the substance that gives garlic its pungent

odor and flavor. Allicin is highly unstable and decomposes into

oil-soluble substances that include diallyl sulfide, diallyl disulfide

and other volatile sulfur compounds.

 

Non-sulfur compounds

 

Non-sulfur compounds in garlic and in the aged extract include proteins,

carbohydrates (sugars, fructans, pectins), saponins, that are steroid

substances recently shown to have antibacterial and antifungal actions,

flavonoids, such as allixin, that are important antioxidants. Garlic

contains low amounts of vitamins and minerals including selenium. The

organosulfur compounds are mostly responsible for garlic's medicinal

qualities, but their cooperative action with other components that are

present in garlic enhances its health benefits.

 

Modern medicine

 

Over the last two decades the growing use of botanicals in complementary

and alternative medicine has resulted in a burst in garlic research.

Modern scientific methods are being used to investigate the actions of

garlic and its components in protecting against aging and disease. At a

recent scientific conference, scientists confirmed what traditional

healers found out through trial and error: garlic can help prevent

modern ailments and disorders.

 

The two and a half day international conference took place in November,

1998, in Newport Beach California and focussed on " Recent Advances on

the Nutritional Benefits Accompanying the Use of Garlic as a

Supplement " . Organized by the National Cancer Institute and Pennsylvania

State University, the conference gathered close to 200 researches and

health professionals from 12 countries. Scientists presented work on the

health benefits of garlic and garlic supplements and it became clear

from studies reported at the conference that deodorized aged garlic

extract was more effective than fresh garlic in large part because of

the unique water soluble organosulfur compounds that have a wide scope

of action and are highly bioavailable.

 

Antioxidant effects

 

Just as oxidized iron in a car turns to rust, so do free radicals

oxidize and damage DNA, lipids and proteins in the body, triggering

disease and accelerating aging. Free radicals are made in cells in

normal metabolism and during infection and inflammation. They increase

in the body by exposure to sunlight, X-rays, smoking, smog and other

pollutants. Cells fight oxidants by antioxidant enzymes and small

molecules, which are produced internally and by antioxidant vitamins,

minerals and phytochemicals that are obtained from food.

 

Garlic is rich in antioxidants phytochemicals that include organosulfur

compounds and flavonoids, capable of scavenging free radicals. Garlic

also contains selenium, which is required for the antioxidant enzyme

glutathione peroxidase. Though we do not know the mechanisms of all the

garlic components, many of its disease preventive, anti-inflammatory and

anti-aging effects are due to the antioxidant actions of garlic and

garlic preparations that contain stable organosulfur compounds.

 

Research shows that among garlic preparations, aged garlic extract has

the highest antioxidant potential, compared to fresh garlic and some

commercial preparations. Aged garlic extract and in other experiments

some forms of garlic powder have been shown to boost cell glutathione,

which scavenges free radicals and helps maintain a healthy immune system

and enzymes that convert free radicals to water and destroy toxic

peroxides.

 

Reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke

 

In the past 15 years, garlic supplementation studies have concentrated

on the bulb's effects in reducing blood cholesterol and triglycerides

(the form in which fat is transported in the blood). All studies did not

agree with one another, given differences in the kind of garlic

preparation, quality of standardization, doses and periods of treatment.

But most findings showed that garlic slightly lowered blood cholesterol,

LDL cholesterol and triglycerides with a consistent lowering of blood

lipids seen in studies that used aged garlic extract as the supplement.

For example, while a University of Oxford study showed that garlic

powder, given to patients at 900 mg a day for six months, had no

protective effects and did not lower cholesterol levels, a study at East

Carolina University found that aged garlic extract given at 2.4-4.8 gm a

day, for six months, lowered cholesterol by 5-7%, and reduced LDL,

triglycerides and blood pressure in men with high cholesterol.

 

Preventing lipid oxidation, protecting blood vessels, anti-platelet

action

 

Oxidation of LDL cholesterol by free radicals accelerates

atherosclerosis. The oxidized LDL injures cells that line the blood

vessels, increasing the chance of plaque forming cholesterol deposits in

the vessel wall. Aged garlic extract, its components S-allyl cysteine

and the flavonoid allixin, have been shown to protect LDL from oxidation

and prevent cell injury in the blood vessels. Oil soluble organosulfur

components of garlic also show an ability to protect LDL from oxidation.

 

 

Garlic has anti-clotting effects that reduce plaque formation in blood

vessels and clots that cause heart disease and stroke. Garlic prevents

clumping of blood platelets to each other (aggregation) and their

sticking to blood vessels (adhesion). When patients were given 2.4-4.8

grams of aged garlic extract daily for six months, the aged extract that

contains stable organosulfur compounds prevented clotting and adhesion

of blood platelets and reduced blood pressure.

 

Protection against brain injury by ischemia

 

If blood circulation to the brain is decreased due to atherosclerosis or

a poor heart condition-risks that increase with age-the brain is

deprived of oxygen (ischemic hypoxia). When the brain is enriched again

with oxygen ( reperfusion), free radicals are produced, causing brain

injury that accelerates aging and diseases such as Alzheimer's disease.

Antioxidants protect against such damage and garlic preparations rich in

water soluble antioxidants show a protective effect. Experiments in rats

show that aged garlic extract and water soluble S-allyl cysteine,

prevented brain injury by ischemia and reperfusion. In contrast, oil

soluble garlic compounds allyl sulfide and allyl disulfide, tested in

the same way, did not protect the brain.

 

Enhanced immune functions

 

The immune system consists of many types of cells and protective

substances that fight infections, the common cold and help battle life

threatening diseases, such as cancer. A strong immune system can defend

against bacteria, viruses and fungal diseases. When immunity is severely

damaged, as in the case of AIDS, the body cannot fight off invading

infectious organisms. Immunity can be compromised by many factors, by a

poor diet, stress, environmental pollution, disease and aging.

Fortunately, science has identified dietary substances that help

stimulate the immune system, and garlic is among them.

 

Human studies confirm immune stimulation by garlic. Subjects receiving

aged garlic extract at 1800 mg a day for three weeks showed a 155.5%

increase in natural killer immune cell activity that kills invaders and

cancer cells. Other subjects receiving large amounts of fresh garlic of

35g a day, equivalent to 10 cloves, showed an increase of 139.9%. In six

weeks, patients with AIDS receiving aged garlic extract showed an

enhancement of natural killer cells from a seriously low level to a

normal level.

 

In another human study, subjects were given garlic powder for three

months. Blood samples tested for white cell activity, showed an

increased capacity of the immune cells to engulf the E. coli bacteria.

Garlic and garlic preparations increase the activity of immune cells,

including macrophages, that kill infectious invaders.

 

Recent studies show that garlic powdered extract contains substances

that kill Heliobacter pylori, a virulent organism that grows in the

stomach and is thought to be associated with stomach ulcers and stomach

cancer. Since 122 patients out of 145 people infected with H. pylori

showed resistance to antibiotic treatment, treatment with garlic

supplementation may be an essential approach.

 

Anti-cancer effects

 

Normal cells become malignant through stages, in a complex process that

takes many years, thus enhancing cancer risk with age. Mutations in DNA

by free radicals or by binding of chemical carcinogens trigger a loss in

growth regulation, causing cells to replicate in an uncontrolled way and

result in a cancer.

 

The anti-cancer effects of garlic have been recognized since ancient

times, mostly in the form of therapeutic effects. New scientific methods

enable us to confirm that garlic helps prevent cancer and stop cancer

cell growth.

 

Epidemiological studies

 

The anti-cancer effects of garlic-rich diets have been shown in over 12

epidemiological studies in China, Italy and the United States. Diets

high in garlic lowered the risk of stomach and colon cancer. Among the

earliest documented evidence were studies in China that showed a marked

decrease in stomach cancer in residents of the Gangshang province whose

daily consumption was 20 g or more. Cancer rate was thirteen times lower

compared to people in another province who consumed 1g a day. Studies in

Italy showed a 50% reduction in stomach cancer in people who's daily

diet was high in vegetables and contained large amounts of garlic. The

protective effects of garlic against colon cancer were shown in a

striking finding in the Iowa Womens' study, in which 41.837 women, aged

55-69, ate one or more servings of garlic a week, over five years.

Garlic eaters showed a 35% lower risk of colon cancer, compared with

women on diets that did not include garlic.

 

Experimental studies

 

The antioxidant effects that prevent DNA damage and cancer-causing

mutations are essential to the cancer preventive effects of garlic and

its components. In addition, aged garlic extract, and lipid soluble

organosulfur compounds that are also found in garlic powder, prevent the

binding of DNA and chemical carcinogens. They also increase the disposal

of the carcinogens in animals, ridding the body of the cancer causing

agents.

 

Other animal studies show that aged garlic extract protects against

early and late stages of cancer development in the colon, mammary

glands, skin, stomach and esophagus. Among the compounds in the garlic

extract showing prevention of tumor promotion is allixin, a flavonoid

that also prevents the formation of prostaglandins, hormone-like

substances that are active in enhancing inflammation, platelet

aggregation and tumor growth.

 

Cancer therapy

 

In ancient times, garlic was used to treat cancer of the uterus.

Experimental studies with human cells in culture support garlic action

in blocking tumor growth. Work at Sloan Kettering Memorial Medical

Center showed that the water soluble S-allyl cysteine and S-allyl

mercaptocysteine, which are high in aged garlic extract, stop the growth

of human prostate cancer and breast cancer cells in culture. Other

recent studies at Pennsylvania State University showed that the oil

soluble diallyl sulfide prevented the growth of human colon cancer

cells. These studies offer hope for adjuvant therapy with garlic

compounds.

 

Preventing heart and liver toxicity in cancer therapy

 

Cardiotoxicity and liver toxicity caused by anti-cancer agents that

produce free radicals is a concern in cancer therapy. Doxorubicin, which

is used in treating breast cancer, ovarian carcinoma and other tumors,

damages the heart muscle and leads to in-heart failure. Methotrexate and

5-fluorouracilused, which are used in treating a variety of cancers,

produce liver toxicity. Aged garlic extract and the organosulfur

compounds polysulfides protect mice and heart cells in vitro from

Doxorubicin toxicity and liver cells against the toxic effects of

methotraxate and 5-fluorouracil. These protective effects of the garlic

supplement may have applications in the clinic, reducing the risk of

toxicity in patients receiving anti-cancer treatment.

 

Anti-aging, cognitive function enhancement and life extension

 

The history of garlic tells us of its uses to promote well being. Recent

studies on mice show that garlic may have important effects on brain

function and in increasing life span. The research showed that aged

garlic extract and its key sulfur compound, S-allyl cysteine, enhanced

learning ability in mice that are genetically prone to early aging.

Nerve cells exposed to these compounds showed an unusual ability to grow

and branch, which may be associated with the enhanced memory function by

the garlic compounds. Aged garlic extract prevented degeneration in the

frontal lobe of the brain, improved memory retention and extended the

life span of the animals.

 

Conclusions

 

Garlic contains a wide range of substances, including antioxidants,

which are enhanced by aging garlic extract and act together to help

prevent atherosclerosis, heart disease, stroke, cancer and aging, as

well as boost immunity and help increase memory and life span. Garlic

and garlic supplements as well as garlic components, notably stable

organosulfur compounds, have been shown to influence cancer by several

mechanisms: prevent mutations, prevent the binding of carcinogens to

DNA, increase the destruction of carcinogens by producing enzymes that

do the job, prevent later stages in cancer, enhance immunity and stop

the growth for some human cancer cells. Garlic antioxidants are highest

in the aged garlic supplement compared to fresh garlic and other

commercial preparations. The antioxidants protect against toxic effects

of free radicals from radiation, including sunlight, environmental

pollutants and some anti-cancer drugs, and help fight cancer, heart

disease, loss of memory and aging.

 

The conference on " Recent Advances on the Nutritional Benefits

Accompanying the Use of Garlic as a Supplement " concluded that garlic

research has come a long way in confirming the health benefits of

garlic. However, there is work ahead to define other benefits and

establish the most effective doses that will provide each person with

the benefits against diseases and aging.

 

Garlic supplementation in our daily diet may be one of the best options

to prevent aging and disease and therefore extend life. Those who wish

to eat a clove of garlic a day and do not suffer adverse reactions can

do so. Various garlic products on the market offer an alternative but

require careful viewing of the manufacturer's standardization of the

product and of the bioavailability of the compounds in the supplement.

Those who want to increase their daily dose of garlic but avoid garlic

breath can turn to regular use of aged garlic extract, a deodorized

standardized, highly bioavailable supplement, whose benefits are well

researched.

 

Anti-Atherosclerotic Effects of Garlic

_________________

JoAnn Guest

mrsjo-

DietaryTi-

www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Genes

====================================================================

Post subject: Recipe For Anti-Cancer Garlic Requires Chef with " Slow

Hand "

--

 

 

Recipe For Anti-Cancer Garlic Requires A Chef With A " Slow Hand "

 

http://www.scienceagogo.com/news/19981016030553data_trunc_sys.shtml

Researchers have shown that microwave heating, or roasting garlic, can

diminish or destroy its anti-cancer activity - unless the herb is

chopped or crushed, and allowed to " stand " for at least 10 minutes

before cooking.

 

Kun Song and Dr. John A. Milner, from the Department of Nutrition at

Penn State University, conducted the study. The research was the first

to show that as little as one minute of microwaving or 45 minutes of

oven roasting can completely block garlic's ability to retard the action

of a known cancer-causing agent in rats. Garlic's anti-cancer activity

was retained, however, if the herb was first chopped or crushed and

allowed to stand for 10 minutes before being heated.

 

Song said that the 10-minute " standing period " after chopping or

crushing the garlic enables an enzyme naturally present in certain

garlic cells to come in contact with, and act on, chemicals in other

cells. Chopping or crushing the garlic opens the cells and enables the

enzyme to start a reaction that produces chemicals called allyl sulfur

compounds that possess anti-cancer properties.

 

" The allyl sulfur compounds produced from the enzyme's reaction are

critical to garlic's anti-cancer effects, " Song noted. " If garlic was

heated or roasted immediately after crushing, the enzyme was

de-activated by the heating process and garlic's anti-cancer effects

were blocked. "

 

Song and Milner conducted the study with rats given garlic by intubation

six times over a two-week period. The rats received garlic equal to 2

per cent of their daily food ration. After the feeding period was over,

the rats were treated with a breast tumor inducer called DMBA. DNA from

the rats' breast tissue then was examined in order to count the number

of instances in which DMBA reaction products or metabolites had become

attached to the DNA. The number of DMBA metabolites binding to DNA,

called DNA adducts, was used as the measure of cancer incidence.

 

Rats that received no garlic had the highest number of adducts. Rats

given raw garlic showed an average decrease of 64 per cent in adduct

formation compared with rats that had received no garlic. Rats given

garlic that had been heated for one minute in the microwave oven or

roasted in a convention oven for 45 minutes after being crushed and

allowed to " stand " for 10 minutes showed 41 per cent and 21 per cent

reductions in adduct formation, respectively. Rats given heated or

roasted garlic that had not been allowed to stand showed no decrease in

adducts compared with non-garlic fed rats.

_________________

JoAnn Guest

mrsjo-

DietaryTi-

www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Genes

 

 

 

 

 

AIM Barleygreen

" Wisdom of the Past, Food of the Future "

 

http://www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Diets.html