Healthy living

Healthy eating

Garlic boosts heart health

Cloves of garlic

If you can put up with the smell, eating garlic can do wonders for your health, say researchers

Scientists at the University of Alabama have pinpointed exactly how the pungent clove works its magic in your body. When garlic is digested, it boosts levels of a chemical that helps to keep the heart healthy.

Garlic has long been thought to bestow health benefits, particularly on the heart, but until now no one has been able to explain why. This study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that eating garlic produces a chemical called hydrogen sulphide.

This compound smells of rotten eggs and is actually poisonous in higher concentrations but small amounts are essential for relaxing blood vessels and increasing blood flow. A healthy blood flow results in a lower blood pressure, which in turn, lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease.

The Alabama team extracted juice from supermarket garlic and added small amounts to human red blood cells in the laboratory. The cells immediately started breaking down the sulphur compounds in the garlic to produce heart-health boosting hydrogen sulphide.

"Our results suggest garlic in the diet is a very good thing," said lead author of the study, Dr David Kraus, "Certainly in areas where garlic consumption is high, such as the Mediterranean and the Far East, there is a low incidence of cardiovascular disease."

The team hope that their research will help standardise dietary garlic supplements so that those produced contain the correct blend for the body to most efficiently make the right levels of hydrogen sulphide.

Judy O’Sullivan, cardiac care nurse at the British Heart Foundation welcomed the study but cautioned that, while garlic may provide some heart health benefits, "there remains insufficient evidence to support the notion of eating garlic as medicine in order to reduce the risk of developing coronary heart disease."

She also warned that large amounts in supplement form may interact with blood thinning drugs and could increase the risk of bleeding.

Useful articles
Useful website

Back to top

Make a comment

 

Information on this site is for interest only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. You should consult your own doctor about any specific health concerns.

Back to top