Garlic’s Effect on Heart Health: New Data on Its Effectiveness Against High Blood Pressure and Thrombosis
Cardiovascular disease is one of the leading causes of death in the world. Every year, thousands of people worldwide are diagnosed with high blood pressure, high levels of bad cholesterol, and risk of blood clots. Various medications such as statins, blood pressure medications, and disaggregants are often used to treat these conditions.
However, there are also natural ways to improve cardiovascular health, including the use of garlic. Can garlic be an alternative to the three medications used to treat the cardiovascular system at once? Let’s break this question down and see what the latest research says. We’ll look at how garlic can help with all of these problems and whether it’s worth considering as an alternative to medications.
Garlic as a Safe and Natural Alternative to Pharmaceuticals in the Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular Disease
Cardiovascular disease is one of the leading causes of death in the world, and there is great interest in finding more natural and affordable ways to prevent and treat these diseases. One of the most common approaches is the use of pharmaceuticals, such as statins, blood pressure lowering drugs, and disaggregants. However, these drugs have some drawbacks and may cause resistance in patients.
Some people have a prejudice against statins, and others have side effects from blood pressure lowering drugs, such as decreased potency. In addition, drugs that reduce the likelihood of thrombosis can cause bleeding. Against this background, more and more people are interested in more natural, safer and more affordable ways to prevent and treat cardiovascular disease.
One such possible way is garlic. Experiments on animals have shown that garlic can reduce the level of bad cholesterol, which is the main cause of atherosclerotic plaque formation, which in turn can lead to serious consequences. Given that garlic is affordable and relatively safe, it can be seen as a possible alternative to pharmaceuticals for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease.
It has been found that garlic can significantly improve cardiovascular health. This is because it can reduce triglycerides, which are other blood lipids and contribute to plaque formation and serious cardiovascular complications.
In addition, garlic can improve the function of the endothelium, which is the inner lining of blood vessels, with the endothelium producing nitric oxide, which leads to relaxation of blood vessels and lowering of blood pressure. Garlic has also been shown to be effective as a disaggregant for platelets, reducing their ability to adhere and activate, and thus acting as an alternative to aspirin.
These properties of garlic are mainly due to the two main substances that contain large amounts of sulfur, these are allein and cysteine glutamine. Allein contains 1.8% of the weight of raw garlic. It is odorless on its own and has no irritant properties whatsoever. However, when one cuts or remembers a garlic clove, an enzyme called alliinase immediately kicks in and converts alliin to allicin. Allicin is a substance we all know well, we can smell it and we can taste it.
Garlic has many forms of use, from raw garlic to garlic oil. Raw garlic can be consumed whole or cut into pieces, or it can be ground into a powder or turned into an aqueous or alcoholic extract. Garlic oil is also widely used in the food and medical industries. All of these forms have sulfur-containing components in them, which are the main active ingredients in garlic.
Allicin, a substance that has many beneficial properties, including fighting harmful bacteria, is also available in capsules. The average garlic clove weighs between 5 and 10 grams, and the powder derived from that clove takes about 1/8 of a teaspoon.
One clove and the powder contain about 180 milligrams of allium, or allicin if fermented. Garlic can be consumed in various forms depending on the needs and preferences of the user, but they all contain sulfur-containing components, which are the key active ingredients.
The cysteine glutamine found in garlic also has a significant impact on heart health. It can promote heart health and has the ability to lower blood pressure. High blood pressure is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Garlic has properties that help relax blood vessels and dilate arteries, which can help lower blood pressure. This is especially beneficial for people who suffer from hypertension.
In addition, the glutamine cysteine in garlic has anticoagulant properties, meaning it helps thin the blood and prevent blood clots. This can be helpful in preventing heart attacks and strokes associated with blood clots.
The Effect of Garlic on Blood Pressure and Thrombosis: An Analysis of the Existing Data
Let’s take a closer look at the research conducted from 1990 to 2012 on the effects of garlic on human health. For 22 years, studies have been conducted using various types of garlic, including raw garlic, garlic alcohol extract, garlic oil, garlic powder and other forms. In most studies, the dose of garlic was about 10 grams per day.
Studies have focused on the effects of garlic on cardiovascular health. Of particular interest were studies related to the effects of garlic on the lipid profile, that is, cholesterol, triglycerides and low and high density lipoprotein levels.
As a result, most studies have shown that garlic use can marginally improve blood lipid profiles. Specifically, garlic use reduced bad cholesterol levels by an average of 10 percent and slightly reduced triglyceride levels. A slight increase in high-density lipoprotein levels has also been noted. However, not all studies have confirmed these results, and some have found no effect of garlic consumption on heart and vascular health.
There is conflicting data regarding garlic’s effect on blood pressure. Some studies show that garlic can have a strong effect on lowering blood pressure, comparable to taking beta-adrenoblockers, but other studies have found no effect.
Therefore, no definitive conclusions can be drawn at this time as to whether garlic has a significant effect on blood pressure. There is also no clear information regarding garlic’s ability to reduce thrombosis. The available research has not definitively answered this question.
However, regarding the effect of garlic on the lipid profile of the blood, the data are more encouraging. Most studies show that garlic can slightly lower bad cholesterol by 10 percent, slightly lower triglyceride levels, and slightly raise high-density lipoprotein levels.
Is Garlic Recommended As An Alternative to Cardiac Medications?
Regarding the use of garlic as an alternative to current cardiology medications, keep in mind that garlic cannot replace medications that lower low-density lipoprotein levels. This applies to statins as well as other drugs that increase cholesterol breakdown, block cholesterol absorption, or target low-density lipoprotein receptors.
However, garlic can be used as a supplement to diet and other measures that aim to lower cholesterol. This can include exercise, a certain diet, and supplementation with garlic. That said, the use of garlic cannot replace current blood pressure and platelet aggregation medications. Future studies and standardized doses are possible, but to date there has been no single carrier of garlic’s active ingredients, including allicin and alliin.
It is important to note that no side effects have been reported from the use of garlic in studies, with the exception of some cases of allergic reactions. Therefore, if you are considering using garlic to improve cardiovascular health, you can include it in your diet in moderate amounts, while taking your individual body characteristics into account.Garlic powder or odorless allicin supplements can be used to reduce the smell of garlic.
In general, using garlic as part of a comprehensive approach can be helpful for lowering cholesterol and hypothetically for reducing the likelihood of complications from cardiovascular disease. However, before you start taking garlic as a dietary supplement, you should discuss it with your doctor.
Conclusion
All in all, we can say that garlic has potential as a dietary supplement to lower blood cholesterol levels. It can be used as part of a comprehensive approach to preventing cardiovascular disease, along with exercise and diet. However, garlic should not be considered a valid alternative to modern cardiology drugs for lowering cholesterol, blood pressure or platelet aggregation.
More rigorous and standardized studies may help to understand which doses and forms of garlic are most effective and safe for medical use. In any case, no serious side effects have been reported when garlic is consumed as a food or supplement, with the exception of rare cases of allergic reactions.