Heart disease

Ebony, July, 2006

There is good news in the area of heart disease prevention. According to a clinical study done by UCLA, aged garlic extract can benefit individuals who are at risk for heart disease, which claims one life every 33 seconds--more than either cancer or AIDS. The study also showed that aged garlic extract was found to inhibit calcified plaque formation by more than 65 percent, lower levels of bad cholesterol, known as low-density lipoprotein, and increase good cholesterol, or high-density lipoprotein, in cardiac patients. The 7-year clinical study included 3,000 individuals.

Cardiovascular disease is the No. 1 killer of all American women with African-American women (44.7 percent) being most affected compared to 32.4 percent of Caucasian females, according to the American Heart Association. At-risk factors include high blood pressure, physical inactivity, obesity, high cholesterol and a family history of heart disease.

In another development, experts say it appears that excessive coffee drinking may not contribute to heart disease, as originally suspected, according to another study. To avoid heart disease, medical experts recommend that you get plenty of aerobic exercise, maintain your ideal body weight, quit smoking, eliminate transfatty acids and increase the amount of fruits, vegetables and whole grains in your diet.