Clove at first sight: the healing power of garlic - Wellness: supplements and functional foods

Better Nutrition, Feb, 2004 by Brian McCabe

It may not do much for your breath. But perhaps no other herb can do more for your heart health than garlic. Used for centuries around the world for everything from numbing toothaches to warding off vampires, a whole new generation is taking to garlic with a passion. German health authorities have approved garlic as a primary defense against atherosclerosis--the buildup of fatty plaques on artery, walls that can lead to heart disease--and high cholesterol levels. American consumers are now buying it in droves. Or cloves.

Solid Science

Research, including over 1,000 clinical trials that have been conducted on its medicinal uses, supports Americans' enthosiasm.

A study published in Coronary Artery, Disease in 1999 found that of 60 mice fed high-cholesterol Nets, the 30 given allicin--one of garlic's active ingredients--developed fewer fatty deposits in their arteries.

A 1999 German study showed an 18 percent reduction in plaque buildup in the arteries of people who took 900 milligrams (mg) of garlic powder per day.

And an Oxford University overview of 16 clinical trials involving nearly 1,000 people found that those taking 600-900 mg of dried garlic powder daily for a month or more saw a 12 percent reduction in their cholesterol levels. And they also enjoyed a 13 percent reduction in triglycerides, another type of fat found in the blood.

Potent Properties

The sulfides in garlic, onions and other members of the allium family decrease the tendency for blood clots to form--lowering this considerable risk for heart attacks and stroke. Plus they lower the levels of low-density lipoprotein--LDL or bad cholesterol--and decrease total cholesterol. Both are risk factors for coronary heart disease.

A dose of garlic in the diet may help to prevent hardening of the aorta, the major artery that carries blood from the heart. The aorta hardens naturally with age. But a more elastic aorta is beneficial because it conducts blood smoothly from the heart and puts less stress on other organs. Most people add onions, garlic and leeks to foods for their pungent flavor. Some focus more on the potential heart benefits. But there are other reasons for including allium foods in your diet.

Added Benefits

The active substances in these foods--allyl sulfides--provide protection against cancer. Some of the phytochemicals, including the allyl sulfides, block the action of hormones or chemical pathways within the body that promote cancer. A study published in Cancer Detection and Prevention in November 2000 found that giving garlic extract to guinea pigs with skin cancer slowed the growth of their tumors.

And a study in Microbes and Infection's February 1999 issue heralded garlic as an effective treatment against certain bacteria, fungi and viruses.

Garlic is currently being investigated as a possible foil for infections that resist traditional antibiotics. Several studies found that a constituent in the aged garlic extract--furostanol glycoside--demonstrated antifungal effects by inhibiting the growth of the common bacteria, Candida albicans, in test tubes.

It's even being tested in Russia as a treatment for arthritis.

Age-Old Remedy

Many experts stress the importance of taking aged garlic extract. That's why some supplements on the market are aged for 20 months. Ingesting aged garlic extract, or AGE, may provide nutritional support for the health of those suffering from a wide range of vascular conditions, including ischemia (insufficient blood flow), inflammatory diseases, diabetes and atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries. AGE also may lower homocysteine levels in the blood; high levels are now considered a major risk factor for heart attacks.

A study conducted by Zhihua Wet, PhD, and Benjamin Lau, PhD, at Loma Linda University's Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics in California shows that AGE significantly boosts the body's natural disease fighters--antioxidants. Their function is to combat free radicals. If left alone, free radicals will continue to attack the body's natural immune system and contribute to the onset of a wide range of medical conditions, including vascular disease.

Supplemental Advice

Note to garlic lovers looking for all excuse to eat more: You may have to eat a lot of raw garlic to experience its benefits, as many as 5-10 cloves a day--a prospect that may drive your friends away. Luckily, many garlic supplements offer an odor-free alternative.

Also be aware that this potent herb is a natural blood thinner. Therefore, pregnant women, people taking daily doses of aspirin or other anticoagulant drugs, or those who have recently had--or plan to have--surgery, should talk to their health care practitioners before beginning a regimen that includes either added dietary garlic or garlic supplements.

This Bud's for you

One garlic controversy continues: Are the benefits of the alliums lost in cooking? Evidence suggests that most of the phytochemicals in garlic are stable in heat and not lost in the cooking water.

To ensure a long shelf life for onions and garlic, store them in a single layer. Avoid leaving them in sunlight since they will develop green "sun spots." They may be chopped, diced or sliced and frozen for later use in cooked dishes.