Already known for its antibacterial and antifungal properties, garlic also has a protective role against cardiovascular diseases.
Some deposits, rich in lipids (cholesterol), accumulate in the arteries, can obstruct the blood vessels, prevent blood circulation, and thus lead to cardiovascular disease.
In question :
- Lifestyle habits: smoking, obesity, stress, sedentary lifestyle, oral contraception, alcoholism.
- Metabolic pathologies: excess cholesterol, diabetes, gout.
- Genetic factors: family history, cardiovascular accidents, male sex, menopause.
- High blood pressure
The use of garlic is already recognized by the WHO as a food aid against:
- hyperlipidemia (high level of lipids in the blood)
- Vascular disorders related to aging (atherosclerosis)
- Moderate hypertension.
According to Matthew J. Budoff, a researcher at BioMed LA, aged garlic extract would play a significant role in “reducing plaque buildup and preventing the formation of new plaques in the arteries, which can cause cardiac disease “.
To achieve such results, the researchers studied 55 patients between 40 and 75 years old, with hypertension, obesity or cardiovascular risk.
They measured their volume of fat and calcium in the arteries through coronary angioplasty.
Then, for one year, half of them were given 2.4 mg of aged garlic extract each day, while the other half were given a daily placebo.
The total plaque accumulation of the group that ingested the garlic extract slowed by 80%. It even regressed and its density was reduced.
A beneficial effect that is added to the antibacterial and antifungal properties of garlic, useful for example in cases of gastroenteritis or candida albicans.
