Home » Health Food Articles » Garlic may prove to be one of man's strongest allies in promoting cardiovascular health!
Garlic may prove to be one of man's strongest allies in promoting cardiovascular health!
|
Garlic and cardiovascular health have been portrayed as partners for as long as one can remember. Indeed, the mouth-watering culinary delight is as much a permanent fixture of the world's gastronomic palaces as of its healing arenas.
Garlic is believed to be one of the oldest cultivated plants in the world and the writings of antiquity bear testament to its healing properties. It has been mentioned in various scripts as being quite potent for many conditions such as parasites, poor digestion, blockages in the respiratory system, as well as lack of stamina. It has also often been mentioned as a promising preventative for certain forms of cancer, though results of studies on this area have proven to be fairly inconclusive.
|
 In the area of heart and cardiovascular health, garlic seems to have found its highly-deserved recognition. This is largely attributed to the presence of several powerful sulfur-containing compounds in the clove. Among these compounds are:
- thiosulfinates - the most well-known of these compounds is allicin
- sulfoxides - the best known among these substances is alliin
- dithiins - among which is the compound ajoene.
Allicin is the most highly-recognized of these organic substances in garlic and when extracted from the garlic, manifests itself as a colorless liquid with a heavily-pungent odor. Allicin and the other compounds mentioned above are what bestow garlic with its distinctive scent.
Several research studies conducted on animals and published between 1995 and 2005 indicate that these sulfur-containing compounds may be responsible for the cardiovascular-support properties of garlic as they:
- may help reduce atherosclerosis and the deposition of fat;
- may aid in normalizing the lipoprotein balance;
- may help lower blood pressure;
- may possess anti-thrombotic and anti-inflammatory properties; and
- may function as an antioxidant and thus help in lowering free radical damage to some extent.
Studies have shown that these different allyl compounds react with the body's chemistry in a variety of ways and these actions produce the beneficial effects to cardiovascular health.
For example, studies have shown that the allicin produced from alliin in garlic is responsible for inhibiting the blood vessel-contracting actions of the protein angiotensin II. It is known that when blood vessels contract, the blood is forced to flow through a smaller space, and it results to an increase in the blood pressure. By blocking the activity of angiotensin II, allicin is believed to aid in preventing blood vessel contraction, thereby helping to maintain or even lower the blood pressure.
Another of these compounds - ajoene - is said to help in preventing the formation of blood clots that lead to blockages in the arteries. Artery blockages may result in heart attacks and strokes. The ajoene compound has been found to help prevent platelets from becoming too sticky. Stopping the stickiness of the platelets is key to averting the disastrous effects of these clots.
Other chronic cardiovascular conditions such as atherosclerosis may be brought about by inflammation and oxidative stress. Two other allyl compounds - 1,2-vinyldithiin and thiacremonone - apparently inhibit the actions of certain inflammatory messenger molecules. When these molecules are frustrated, there is less likelihood of swelling & irritation and damage from oxidative strain.
But while a host of studies by various scientific institutions have seemingly cemented garlic's august reputation in the realm of cardiovascular health, there have been some studies that suggest some chinks in its armor. A randomized clinical trial funded by the United States' National Institutes of Health (NIH) and published in the Archives of Internal Medicine in 2007 found that the intake of garlic in any form did not lower blood cholesterol levels in patients with moderately high baseline cholesterol levels. Fresh garlic was utilized in the study so this study seemingly casts doubt on the ability of allicin to reduce blood cholesterol levels in humans when taken orally.
However, it does seem that the positive aspects of taking garlic vastly outweigh the ambiguous results posed by other studies.
Due to the abundance of the aforementioned allic compounds in garlic, there is compelling evidence that adding this vegetable to one's diet on a regular basis may redound to great benefits to cardiovascular health in the long-run. Including at least half a clove of garlic in one's individual food portion may be quite helpful. At least 2 cloves of garlic is recommended for those preparing a food recipe. |
HealthFoodBenefits.com
Featured Product
 |
|
|
Do you find the contents of this site useful and helpful? Feel free to bookmark, share and tell your friends about this site."
|
Ready to take that first step toward a healthier life?
Buy Organic Garlic Powder here!
Resources:
Check out these Interesting Books on Garlic Benefits:
| 
