supplement spotlight
a breath of fresh air the natural healing power of garlic
Back in 1994, researchers published a tongue-in-cheek study in the Journal of the Norwegian Medical Association exploring whether garlic truly protected people against blood-sucking vampires. Their findings? Just the opposite. If vampires are anything like leeches, garlic-clutching humans are in trouble. “Owing to the lack of vampires, we used leeches,” the researchers wrote. In the study, a hand smeared with garlic or a clean hand was offered to the leeches. “The garlic-smeared hand was preferred in two out of three cases. When they preferred the garlic, the leeches used only 14.9 seconds to attach themselves, compared with 44.9 seconds when going to the nongarlic hand.” Leeches have good instincts. When it comes to improving health, garlic is a rock star. If you want to reap its benefits without being irresistible to leeches, you may want to opt for odorless aged garlic supplements.
Garlic v. Disease
There are hundreds of studies documenting garlic’s power at fighting atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), high cholesterol, coronary disease, and hypertension. Research shows that the more garlic middle-aged people consume, the lower their risk for gastric and colon cancers. Eating just a half to one clove of garlic daily (or about 900 milligrams of aged garlic extract) has the power to reduce total cholesterol by 8 or 9 percent. 26 remedies
REM_0618_450_26.indd 26
More than a dozen studies published in The Journal of Nutrition support the idea that aged garlic extract (AGE) may help prevent the progression of cardiovascular disease. New research indicates that AGE may help combat the loss of brain function associated with aging by increasing cognitive functioning, such as memory. Consult a doctor before taking AGE if you have thyroid or ulcer problems. Garlic may make birth control pills less effective. Medications that slow blood clotting (such as warfarin, aspirin, and ibuprofen) also interact with garlic. —remedies staff “Aged Garlic Extract Reduces Blood Pressure in Hypertensives” by K. Ried et al., Eur J Clin Nutr, 1/13 l “Aged Garlic Extract Reduces Low Attenuation Plaque in Coronary Arteries of Patients with Metabolic Syndrome . . .” by S. Matsumoto et al., 2/16; “Aged Garlic Extract Suppresses the Development of Atherosclerosis . . .” by N. Morihara et al., 2/16; “Garlic and Heart Disease” by R. Varshney and M.J. Budoff, 2016, J Nutr l “Aged Garlic Extract Suppresses Inflammation . . .” by N. Morihara et al., Mol Nutr Food Res, 10/17 l “Neuroprotective Effects of Aged Garlic Extract on Cognitive Dysfunction and Neuroinflammation . . .” by N. Nillert et al., Nutrients, 1/3/17 l “Unique Vascular Protective Properties of Natural Products . . .” by M. Slevin et al., Vascular Cell, 4/12
l June 2018 4/24/18 1:48 PM