2009 7 Nov

Facts You Should Remember About Garlic – One Of Nature’s Most Valuable Foods

In order to provide you with the sufficient amount of info it should be started with the definition that states that garlic is a member of the onion (Allium) family, and it can be used in fresh or dries form as a source of characteristic sulphur containing substances that have potentially beneficial effects within the body. You should also know that some of these compounds are present in garlic in a latent form, which are activated when garlic cloves are crushed or digested.

To go into more details there is a need to say that when garlic is crushed, or digested within the intestinal tract, the sulphur containing amino acid derivative alliin is converted by the enzyme allinase that is additionally present in garlic, into allicin, which is the most crucial of the active substances present in garlic. Actually, the activity of the enzyme allinase is reduced by heat and that is the reason why you need to keep in mind that the potential benefits of garlic are reduced by cooking. The other vital information to be mentioned here is that the active compounds in garlic decrease the adhesiveness of blood platelets and have ant i-thrombotic action. It is crucial for you to understand that in this way garlic reduces the tendency of blood to clot. It should be also added that these active compounds dilate blood vessels, thus reducing blood pressure. The other benefit is that they also have immune system enhancing effects, as well as having anti-microbial action against certain types of pathogenic bacteria. Clinical studies have shown supplementation with garlic to have the next advantages:

• Garlic inhibits the development of atherosclerosis

• Garlic reduces blood cholesterol levels

• Garlic inhibits the development of specific types of cancers

• Garlic reduces high blood pressure

What evidence is there for the effectiveness of Garlic?

It will be the worthy of note information for you to learn that clinical trials have shown supplementation with garlic reduced arterial plaque formation inpatients with atherosclerosis, and it should be also stated here that it reduces the risk of death from heart disease by inhibiting atherosclerosis. It is also useful for you to remember that a meta-analysis of the effect of garlic on blood pressure indicated that garlic may be also useful in reducing blood pressure in patients with mild hypertension. There is no need to mention that the effectiveness of garlic in reducing blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels has been the theme of discussion. However, there is as well a need to point out that the balance of evidence from randomized clinical trials suggests that garlic supplementation is capable of moderate reductions in blood cholesterol and/or triglyceride levels.

It will be useful for you to know that the status of garlic as an effective treatment for malignant tumours extends back to the time of the ancient Egyptian civilization, but scientific support for its therapeutic potential has been obtained only lately. Actually, cell culture, animal model and epidemiological studies have shown evidence for anticancer activity of garlic extracts or specific chemical compounds derived from garlic. It is the essential fact to state that these effects incorporate the regulation of cell cycle progression, the regulation of nuclear factors involved in inflammation, the stimulation of immune function, and the modification of signal transduction pathways.

Certainly this is a great product and in order to prove this there is a need to add that a number of case control studies have been reported which demonstrate a protective effect of garlic consumption against human cancers; examples include prostate cancer, breast cancer and gastric cancer.

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