Health
Garlic Helps the Heart
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Garlic Helps the Heart
GARLIC can help reverse the signs of heart disease, claim researchers.
A study shows supplements of the plant can dramatically reduce the build-up of fatty deposits in the arteries.
In laboratory tests, the formation of early deposits was cut by up to 40 per cent.
The size of existing so- called 'nanoplaques' was also reduced by 20 per cent, according to findings presented yesterday at an Ameri- By Jenny Hope can Heart Association meeting in Washington DC.
The findings add to mounting evidence that garlic, a key component of the Mediterranean diet, is good for health.
It has been found to protect against bowel and stomach cancer, and is known to help protect against heart disease, strokes and to lower cholesterol through its effect on blood-clotting mechanisms.
The latest research suggests it can be effective in tackling a different stage of the heart disease process.
Professor Gunter Siegel, from the University of Medicine in Berlin, who led the study funded by Kwai garlic supplements, said laboratory tests were an important pointer for future research involving people.
He said: 'We expect this research to further garlic's role as significant in helping medical professionals develop effective natural therapies for reducing cardiovascular risk.' Nanoplaque formation is the first stage of the deposit build-up that leads to narrowing of the arteries.
It is triggered when 'bad' cholesterol, known as LDL or low- density lipoprotein, binds to cells lining blood vessel walls.
The deposits not only narrow the walls, they can form an unstable lining which is prone to breaking off and triggering a blockage that can cause a heart attack. The German-researchers added a solution of garlic supplement to samples of fat- choked arteries at different stages of development in laboratory conditions.
The solution was found to help to prevent LDL-induced nanoplaque formation by as much as 40 per cent. It also 'reversed' signs of pre- existing plaque formation by 20 per cent.
Experts say it is the active ingredient in garlic called allicin which works against heart disease.