|
E-mail this page to a friend!
Nutrition, Vitamins & Supplements for Seniors
Garlic Does Not Lower Bad Cholesterol but Still May
be Good for Heart
Study confirms findings of others that found only
slight change
 Feb.26,
2007 – A new study confirms what several others have indicated – eating
garlic will not make a significant reduction in low-density lipoprotein
(LDL), the bad cholesterol. The results do not demonstrate, however,
that the popular dietary supplement is not usefulness in the prevention
of cardiovascular disease, according to an editorial published with the
study in today's issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the
JAMA/Archives journals.
| |
Related Stories |
|
| |
Senior Citizens Drinking Lots of Caffeine Lower Risk
of Heart Disease Death
No significant protective effect in patients below the
age of 65
Feb. 23, 2007 – It's news about health that most
senior citizens like to hear – it's more good news about coffee. The
regular drinking of caffeinated beverages by senior citizens – persons
age 65 and older – appears to protect them from heart disease and death,
says a new study.
Read more...
Pomegranate Juice Could Benefit Diabetics and Slow
Bad Cholesterol
Another research report touting the
health benefits of the drink
August 24, 2006 – Pomegranate juice can reduce the
risk for atherosclerosis, and thus the risk of death for diabetics,
since the condition leads to arterial wall thickening and hardening, and
accounts for 80 percent of deaths for diabetic patients. It also reduces
the uptake of bad cholesterol, according to studies at Technion-Isreal
Institute of Technology.
Read
more...
New Link Found Between Walnuts and a Healthy Heart
by Ag Research
Senior citizens looking at walnuts to reduce bad
cholesterol have new reason to consider
July 31, 2006 - Walnuts, already shown in some
studies to reduce "bad" (LDL) cholesterol, may have yet another way of
enhancing cardiovascular health that will interest many senior citizens.
Read more...
Mediterranean Diet Beats Low-Fat in Lowering Heart
Disease Risk for Older People
July 7, 2006 – The benefits of a "Mediterranean
Diet" in reducing the risks of heart attack and cardiovascular disease
received a significant boost from research published in the latest issue
of the Annals of Internal Medicine. Spanish researchers say their study
of older people indicates it is easier to stay on these diets than
low-fat diets and the cardiovascular risk may be reduced as much as 50
percent. (Take test below story on Mediterranean diet by Walnut
Marketing Board.)
Read
more...
Read more
on
Nutrition, Vitamins & Supplements |
|
Three forms of garlic—including raw garlic and two
types of commercial garlic supplements—did not significantly reduce LDL
cholesterol during a six-month trial, according the study.
“Garlic supplements, many of which seek to package
the benefits of raw garlic in more palatable forms, are promoted as
cholesterol-lowering agents and are among the top-selling herbal
supplements,” the authors write.
Crushing garlic triggers the formation of a
compound known as allicin, which has been shown to prevent the formation
of cholesterol in the laboratory. However, clinical trials on garlic as
a cholesterol-lowering agent in humans have been inconsistent.
Christopher D. Gardner, Ph.D., Stanford University
Medical School, Calif., and colleagues enrolled 192 adults age 30 to 65
who had moderately high LDL levels (130 to 190 milligrams per deciliter)
beginning in November 2002.
| |
Does garlic prevent cancer?
|
|
| |
A host of studies provide compelling evidence that garlic and
its organic allyl sulfur components are effective inhibitors of
the cancer process. These studies reveal that the benefits of
garlic are not limited to a specific species, to a particular
tissue, or to a specific carcinogen.
Of 37 observational studies in humans using garlic and related
allyl sulfur components, 28 studies showed some cancer
preventive effect. The evidence is particularly strong for a
link between garlic and prevention of prostate and stomach
cancers.
However, all of the available information comes from
observational studies comparing cancer incidence in populations
who consume or do not consume garlic (epidemiologic studies),
animal models, or observations with cells in culture.
These findings have not yet been verified by clinical trials in
humans.
Although health benefits of garlic are frequently reported,
excessive intake can have harmful effects.
Studies have reported symptoms including garlic odor on breath
and skin, occasional allergic reactions, stomach disorders and
diarrhea, decrease in serum protein and calcium levels,
association with bronchial asthma, and contact dermatitis, and
possible associations with production of sperm in males.
Garlic preparations vary in concentration and in the number of
active compounds they contain. Thus, quality control is an
important consideration when foods such as garlic are considered
for use as a cancer-fighting agent.
More about garlic from
National Cancer Institute, click |
|
Forty-nine participants were randomly assigned to
receive raw garlic, 47 to take a powdered garlic supplement, 48 to take
an aged garlic supplement and 48 to take placebo. The amount of garlic
consumed in the three garlic groups was the equivalent of an
average-sized garlic clove each day, six days per week. Fasting blood
cholesterol levels were assessed monthly, and the chemical composition
of the supplements was checked regularly.
A total of 169 adults completed the study, which
continued through June 2005. “Retention was 87 percent to 90 percent in
all four treatment arms, and the chemical stability of study materials
was high throughout the trial,” the authors write.
“There were no statistically significant effects of
the three forms of garlic on LDL cholesterol concentrations.” Levels of
other types of cholesterol—including high-density lipoprotein (HDL or
“good” cholesterol), triglycerides and total cholesterol–high density
lipoprotein cholesterol ratio—also remained the same.
No serious adverse events occurred, although bad
body and breath odor were reported to occur often or almost always
by 28 participants (57 percent) in the raw garlic group.
“The results of this trial should not be
generalized to other populations or health effects. Garlic might lower
LDL in specific subpopulations, such as those with higher LDL
concentrations, or may have other beneficial health effects,” the
authors write.
“Based on our results and those of other recent
trials, physicians can advice patients with moderately elevated LDL
cholesterol concentrations that garlic supplements or dietary garlic in
reasonable doses are unlikely to produce lipid benefits.”
Garlic still may have cardiovascular benefits
Garlic has been used since ancient times to treat
cardiovascular and infectious diseases, write Mary Charlson, M.D., and
Marcus McFerren, Ph.D., M.D., of Weill Cornell Medical College, New
York, in an accompanying editorial.
“While garlic has been evaluated for its
anti-infective, antioxidant and anticancer properties, a large number of
recent basic and clinical studies have focused on its potential effect
in preventing cardiovascular disease,” they write.
Although the study authors “convincingly
demonstrate that raw garlic and two popularly used supplements do not
reduce LDL cholesterol more than 10 milligrams per deciliter when used
for six months vs. placebo for six months, the results do not
demonstrate that garlic has no usefulness in the prevention of
cardiovascular disease.”
“Garlic is one of the top-selling dietary
supplements in the United States, in part because familiarity with
garlic as a food gives consumers confidence that garlic supplements are
safe. In general, they probably are,” Drs. Charlson and McFerren write.
“Do they prevent cardiovascular disease? The jury
is still out.”
Editor's Notes:
This study was supported grants from the National
Institutes of Health, the Human Health Service, General Clinical
Research Centers, National Center for Research Resources and from the
National Science Foundation. Please see the article for additional
information, including other authors, author contributions and
affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.
More about LDL
>>> Visit the
American Heart Association.
More about garlic
>>>
Wikipedia
>>> The Gilroy Garlic Festival is one of the
largest food festivals in the United States, held annually in
Gilroy, California on the last full weekend in July at Christmas
Hill Park.
>>> Garlic: Effects on Cardiovascular Risks
and Disease, Protective Effects Against Cancer, and Clinical Adverse
Effects, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality,
click here.
Click to More Senior News on the
Front Page
Copyright: SeniorJournal.com |
