Cardiovascular Benefits
Numerous studies have demonstrated potential benefits of regular garlic consumption on blood pressure, platelet aggregation, serum triglyceride level, and cholesterol levels. Routine eating of garlic may also help stimulate the production of nitric oxide in the lining of blood vessel walls, which may help to relax them. As a result of these beneficial actions, garlic can be described as a food that may help prevent atherosclerosis and diabetic heart disease, as well as reducing the risk of heart attack or stroke.
However, exactly which individuals are most benefitted from garlic consumption remains a matter of some debate. A study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine showed that garlic did not help lower LDL cholesterol in adults with moderately high (versus very high) levels when consumed at approximately one clove per day, six days per week, for 6 months. However, these researchers simultaneously concluded that garlic might still have cardiovascular benefits for these same individuals, even though it did not help lower their LDL levels. While more large-scale research studies are needed to determine the exact nature of garlic's benefits, this food can definitely be considered a potential ally in heart health.
Promotes Optimal Health
Other studies have shown that as few as two or more servings of garlic a week may help protect against colon cancer. Substances found in garlic, such as allicin, have been shown to not only protect colon cells from the toxic effects of cancer-causing chemicals, but also to stop the growth of cancer cells once they develop. While more research is needed to confirm, recent animal research has also suggested that garlic may confer protection against the development of stomach cancer through its potential ability to decrease H.pylori-induced gastritits.
Cooking garlic with meat appears to reduce the production of carcinogenic (cancer-causing) chemicals that can occur in meat as a result of cooking methods, such as grilling, that expose meat to high temperatures.
Research presented at the American Association for Cancer Research's Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research meeting in Baltimore, MD, suggests that the phytonutrient responsible for garlic's pungency may help prevent cancer by inhibiting the effects of one such carcinogen called PhIP.
A cancer-causing heterocyclic amine, PhIP is thought to be one reason for the increased incidence of breast cancer among women who eat large quantities of meat because it is rapidly transformed into DNA-damaging compounds.
In addition, DAS signals the genes responsible for producing two protective antioxidant enzymes, (glutathione-S-transferase (GST) and superoxide dismutase (SOD), which help protect the body against harmful compounds such as those produced from PhIP. These findings suggest that making garlic, onion, chives and other Allium vegetables, all of which contain DAS, a staple part of your Healthiest Way of Eating may help in preventing breast cancer induced by PhIP in well-done meats. And enjoying these DAS-rich foods may help protect the men you love as well: Consumption of Allium vegetables has also been associated with a reduced risk of prostate cancer.
Good intakes of vitamin C and selenium, with which fresh garlic is well-endowed, are also associated with a reduced risk of colon cancer, making garlic a smart addition to any colon cancer prevention plan.
Cardiovascular disease is a well-known side-effect of diabetes, but garlic may provide some protection. When diabetic laboratory animals were given garlic extract for an 8-week period, the hyperreactivity of their blood vessels to noradrenaline (a vasoconstrictive hormone) and acetylcholine (a compound involved in nerve transmission) was significantly lessened. According to the researchers, their results suggest that garlic may help prevent the development of abnormal vascular contraction seen in diabetics.
Promotes Weight Control
The most potent active constituent in garlic, allicin, has been shown to not only lower blood pressure, insulin and triglycerides in laboratory animals fed a fructose (sugar)-rich diet, but also to prevent weight gain, according to a study published in the American Journal of Hypertension. In this study, animals who developed high insulin levels, high blood pressure, and high triglycerides were given either allicin or served as a control. Despite the fact that all of the animals consumed the same amount of food, weight rose in the control group but not in animals who were being supplemented with allicin. In those groups, body weight remained stable or declined slightly when allicin was given. The researchers concluded that allicin may be of practical value for weight control.
Anti-Inflammatory, Antibacterial and Antiviral Activity
Garlic, like onions, contains compounds that inhibit lipoxygenase and cyclooxygenase, (the enzymes that generate inflammatory prostaglandins and thromboxanes), thus markedly reducing inflammation. These anti-inflammatory compounds along with the vitamin C in garlic, especially fresh garlic, make it useful for helping to protect against severe attacks in some cases of asthma and may also help reduce the pain and inflammation of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
In addition, allicin, one of the sulfur-compounds responsible for garlic's characteristic odor, is a powerful antibacterial and antiviral agent that joins forces with vitamin C to help kill harmful microbes. In research studies, allicin has been shown to be effective not only against common infections like colds, flu, stomach viruses, and Candida yeast, but also against powerful pathogenic microbes including tuberculosis and botulism.
(www.whfoods.org)
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