Aged GARLIC to REDUCE BLOOD PRESSURE!
Did you know that high blood pressure impacts approximately 30% of adult's worldwide and over one in five Australian adults? The portion of adults with high blood pressure increased with age and both males and females appear to be at nearly equal risk!
What is blood pressure?
Blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is the pressure of blood on your artery walls as your heart pumps. Naturally, blood pressure is expected to fluctuate whilst performing everyday activities such as exercising and sitting throughout the day. However, high blood pressure is defined as consistently higher pressure of blood on the artery walls compared to the normal range.
So you might be thinking why is high blood pressure bad?
Studies show a clear association between high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease and contributes to approximately 70% of strokes, chronic heart failure and heart attacks.
High blood pressure is known to quietly cause damage to the body for years without any obvious symptoms and if left untreated, can result in serious health conditions.
The inner lining of healthy arteries is smooth which enables blood to freely flow and provide nutrients and oxygen to organs and tissues within the body. The arteries are strong, elastic and flexible but over time, high blood pressure narrows the artery and damages the cells of the inner lining. This results in fat from the bloodstream to be collected in the damaged artery, also known as atherosclerosis and over time, results in stiffer artery walls and limits blood flow in the body.
The narrowing of arteries and limited blood flow can result in too little blood flowing to the heart and affect its function. This puts strain on the heart and over time weakens the muscles of the heart or become stiff and not work efficiently. This can lead to a variety of heart diseases such as heart attacks and heart failure.
Similarly, damaged arteries reduce the blood supply to the brain resulting in decreased nutrients and oxygen and can result in a stroke. The damaged vessels can cause blood clots to form in arteries leading to the brain and sometimes vascular dementia.
Some other impacts of high blood pressure are blurred vision, loss of vision and bleeding in the eye due to damage of small, fragile blood vessels in your eyes. Kidney disease is also a potential risk as high-pressure damages vessels, which prevents the kidneys from effectively filtering blood or waste and causes dangerous levels of fluid and waste to collect in the body.
How does Aged Garlic assist in reducing blood pressure?
Garlic has been traditionally used for thousands of years for its diverse effects in many cultures, in particular for its beneficial link in overall heart health and cardiovascular function.
For this reason, many scientific and clinical studies have been conducted to examine the blood pressure lowering effects of Aged Garlic. There is now a wealth of scientific literature supporting the proposal that garlic consumption have significant effects on lowering blood pressure thus preventing of atherosclerosis. Initially in vivo animal experiments were conducted using intravenous administration of garlic extracts which produced slight reductions in both systolic and diastolic pressures over 50 years ago.
Later several clinical studies showed that garlic reduced blood pressure in more than 80% of patients suffering from high blood pressure.
Studies suggest garlic has promising effects on blood pressure due to S-allyl-L-cysteine (SAC), a sulphur-containing substance within garlic.
SAC at doses between 1.2mg-4mg per day have been found to have potent antioxidant effects, protecting the body from damage caused by free radicals and oxidative stress. This is particularly useful for those with chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease.
Atherosclerosis, caused by high blood pressure, is exacerbated by the overexpression of LDL oxidation, known as bad cholesterol, which goes through a chemical process and builds on the artery walls. The LDL oxidation is caused by free radicals in the body and SACs assists in neutralising these radicals and therefore reducing LDL oxidation that contributes to atherosclerosis. This reduction will assist the flow of blood in the body.
Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) is responsible for making angiotensin II, a substance that narrows blood vessels. SACs have an inhibiting effect on ACE which results in relaxation of arteries and therefore lowers blood pressure.
Garlic has many benefits in the body with blood pressure being a particular benefits. It has numerous direct and indirect effects on the body in order to support blood pressure and assisting in overall health.
If you are looking for a natural approach to controlling blood pressure and improving overall cardiovascular function, then Garlic can be a very effective herb for reducing blood pressure.
References:
1. Australia Bureau of Statistics (2023, December 15) Hypertension and high measured blood pressure. Australia Bureau of Statistics. Hypertension and high measured blood pressure, 2022 | Australian Bureau of Statistics (abs.gov.au).
2. Ried K, Frank OR, Stocks NP. Aged garlic extract reduces blood pressure in hypertensives: a dose-response trial. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2013 Jan;67(1):64-70.
3. Heart Foundation (2024) Understand blood pressure and how it can impact your heart health. Heart Foundation. Blood pressure and your heart | Heart Foundation.
4. Rais N, Ved A, Ahmad R, Kumar M, Barbhai MD, Radha, Chandran D, Dey A, Dhumal S, Senapathy M, Deshmukh VP, Anitha T, Balamurugan V, Lorenzo JM. S-Allyl-L-Cysteine — A garlic Bioactive: Physicochemical Nature, Mechanism, Pharmacokinetics, and health promoting activities. Journal of Functional Foods. 2023 Aug 107.
5. Fuchs F, Whelton P. High Blood Pressure and Cardiovascular Disease. AHA Journals. 2019 Dec; 75(2).
6. Mayo Clinic (2023) High blood pressure dangers: Hypertension's effects on your body. Mayo Clinic. High blood pressure dangers: Hypertension's effects on your body - Mayo Clinic.
7. Ried K. Garlic Lowers Blood Pressure in Hypertensive Individuals, Regulates Serum Cholesterol, and Stimulates Immunity: An Updated Meta-analysis and Review. J Nutr. 2016 Feb;146(2):389S-396S.
8. Matsutomo T. Potential benefits of garlic and other dietary supplements for the management of hypertension. Exp Ther Med. 2020 Feb;19(2):1479-1484.
9. Xiong XJ, Wang PQ, Li SJ, Li XK, Zhang YQ, Wang J. Garlic for hypertension: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Phytomedicine. 2015 Mar 15;22(3):352-61.
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