There’s a commonly held belief that garlic can help lower cholesterol. When you look at all of the studies grouped together, it doesn’t appear to be much help. The same holds true for the feeling that garlic can lower blood pressure in those with hypertension. In the past, I’ve reported on many studies that seem to indicate that’s not so. However, when you encounter evidence-based medicine that's grounded in good, solid science, you sometimes have to change your mind.
Australian researchers compiled the results of 11 previously published studies of garlic and blood pressure to perform what is known as a “meta-analysis.” Those 11 studies all compared the effects of garlic to those of a placebo (sugar pill), rather than comparing garlic to other herbal preparations or prescription blood-pressure medications. (BMC Cardiovascular Disorders 2008, 8: 1471)
They found, somewhat surprisingly, that garlic seemed to help people with high blood pressure reduce their blood pressure about as much as they would on standard blood-pressure medications. Those volunteers with normal blood pressure, however, showed no significant reduction.
The researchers theorize that it’s the allicin, the active compound in garlic, that affects the blood pressure. In the studies they looked at, subjects were dosed with between 3.6 and 5.4mg of allicin, which is a little less than what is in a typical raw garlic clove. “Heat-treated" (that is, cooked) garlic contains much less allicin. One of the difficult issues in many of the studies has been the variety of preparations of garlic used in different research endeavors.
I have long said that whether or not garlic is shown to be of definite benefit to your health, it tastes great and is part of any healthy diet. Either way, it’s great that something so delicious that adds so much to so many dishes may also be good for your heart.
Eat well, eat healthy and enjoy life!
Dr. Gourmet
Drgourmet.com
Maybe Garlic IS Good for Your Blood Pressure
Jul 16, 2009 | By
