Having high blood pressure can be a dangerous medical condition, especially if it stays high. As you get older it is important to monitor your blood pressure regularly. As people age or gain weight, their blood pressure can climb higher than normal. If left untreated, high blood pressure becomes dangerous. Your doctor will most likely order blood pressure medication to help keep your blood pressure down. For a more natural approach, a natural supplement, garlic, may help lower your blood pressure.
What is Garlic?
Garlic is a vegetable from the onion and leek family. It grows in the ground with a papery outer layer of skin that is usually discarded before consuming. For hundreds of years, garlic has been used in medicine to treat a variety of medical conditions, including conditions related to the heart. Although there have been conflicting findings and beliefs regarding how effective garlic is for lowering blood pressure, some of the positive medical findings about garlic and blood pressure have led to the development of garlic in a pill form so you can get the benefits of garlic without having to eat the vegetable.
Heart Benefits
A study conducted by the Blood Pressure Association found that garlic showed positive results in reducing high blood pressure and recent analysis of several other studies showed that participants in those studies who took garlic in a powdered form on a daily basis using dosages that ranged from 600 mg to 900 mg, showed a reduction in their systolic blood pressure on an average of 4.6mmHG. These studies varied from 12 to 23 weeks in length.
Theories/Speculation
Other studies, however, have shown little to no positive changes in blood pressure. According to Gil Ramirez of the San Antonio Evidence-Based Practice Center at the University of Texas, garlic does not have a profound effect on blood pressure. Gil Ramirez is a member of a panel of academic and supplement-industry experts. He helped review 1,800 case studies of potential health benefits of garlic. His findings showed that garlic does not play a major role in the reduction of blood pressure.
Mr. Ramirez followed cases of people who took the supplement for six months. What he found was that in 14 of the 17 studies conducted, there was no real benefit from garlic in lowering blood pressure.
Considerations
In more studies, one, a 1995 study by Larry Lawson who is an expert on the chemistry of garlic, found that the brand of garlic you use may also play a role garlic's medicinal benefits. Nine leading brands of garlic were analyzed and there was a difference in the amount of allicin that was released. Allicin is the compound in garlic that gives the most benefits for medicinal purposes for high blood pressure and other health issues.
In 1995, nine leading brands of garlic supplements were analyzed. Mr. Lawson's studies found that Nature's Way Garlicin released the most substantial amount of allicin. However, Mr. Lawson was also working for Nature's Way at the time of the study.
Warning
If you have high blood pressure, talk to your doctor about the possible benefits of garlic. You should never stop any medications without your doctor's consent as this can be dangerous. She can help you determine whether you may benefit from adding garlic to your diet for your high blood pressure.
