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Raw
Garlic and Heart Health
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The latest scientific research indicates that raw garlic
that has been freshly chopped or crushed is much better for overall
hearth
health then garlic that has been cooked or dried. Scientists at the
University
of Connecticut Cardiovascular Research Center report that they have
found that
the best heart healthy effects of garlic do not come from its many
antioxidants, but rather from the hydrogen sulfide that is releases
after
garlic has been cut or crushed.
Garlic that has been freshly cut or chopped offers an
effective alternative means to boost heart health. The hydrogen sulfide
that is
released during this process can help relax blood vessels and improve
blood
flow. When garlic is either processed or cooked, it loses its ability
to
release hydrogen sulfide, and therefore becomes much less potent for
our
overall heart health.
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Garlic: the future
of Alternative Medicine?
According to the authors of this story the results from the
research are important because of the growing demand among heart
patients for
natural and complementary medicine.
The
latest statistics show that nearly one third of all American Adults use
some
form of alternative medicine. According to the scientists who conducted
this
study, “the results strongly suggest that using fresh garlic
would provide
maximal and added benefits to the cardiovascular patients.”
The Research
This latest study into the potential benefits garlic was
done on two groups lab rats. One group was fed freshly cut garlic for
thirty
days and the other group was fed processed garlic. The researchers then
induced
heart attacks in each groups of rats and then studied how wee the rats
and
their heart recovered.
The head researcher Dipak K. Das explains, “both crushed and
processed garlic reduced damage from lack of oxygen, but the fresh
garlic group
had a significantly greater effect on restoring good blood flow in the
aorta
and increased pressure in the left ventricle of the heart.”
This means that the
rats who were fed the fresh garlic had much less damage done to their
heart
than the group that was fed the processed garlic.
The Conclusion
This is the first study of its type to compare two different
forms of garlic and what effect it has on heart health. The findings
that raw
garlic and the presence of hydrogen sulfide
greatly increases heart health
challenges the previous notion that garlic is
primarily good for you
because of its many antioxidants. This hydrogen sulfide is released by
a
chemical reaction that occurs when fresh garlic is crushed, chopped or
chewed.
Its presence is greatly diminished when garlic is otherwise cooked or
processed.
Adding fresh garlic to your diet can help keep you
cholesterol in check and help cut the risk of a first or repeat heart
attack.
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