The Bottom Line On Garlic
Considering the conflicting evidence, what’s the advice for adding garlic or garlic supplements to your daily regimen? If you enjoy garlic, many experts recommend focusing on eating fresh garlic with your meals, rather than garlic supplements.
“Personally, I would recommend consuming garlic in more of my meals rather than taking a pill,” says Melissa Rifkin, RD, a bariatric dietitian at Montefiore Medical Center in New York, City.
“And from a cost perspective, it’s likely more affordable. Fish and garlic have synergistic properties, which means when the two are paired, the cholesterol-reducing properties in both the fish oils and garlic are known to reduce your risk of heart disease, reduce inflammation and lower cholesterol, triglycerides and blood pressure. Together, they have more power to improve blood chemistry,” explains Rifkin.
Does Garlic Actually Work
Garlic is one of the most widely purchased herbal supplements used to lower cholesterol levels. Research studies involving both animals and humans suggest that garlic can lower cholesterol levels. In most of the studies that produced cholesterol-lowering results, about one-half gram or one gram of garlic was consumed a day. LDL cholesterol levels were very modestly lowered whereas HDL cholesterol was not affected by the administration of garlic.
The cholesterol-lowering abilities of garlic appear to be dose-dependent. That is, the more garlic you take, the lower your cholesterol will drop. In the very few studies that looked at the long-term effects of cholesterol, it appears that the cholesterol-lowering effect of garlic may be only temporary.
Additionally, there is some debate as to which form of garlic is the best in lowering cholesterol levels. Some studies suggest that garlic powder may have lower amounts of allicin, one of the active ingredients in garlic. This, too, remains under debate.
It’s important to note that the studies are very conflicting. While there are many that conclude garlic works well to lower cholesterol levels, there are also others that dispute this, contending garlic is ineffective in lowering cholesterol. Until more studies are conducted, garlic may not be the best choice for you if you’re solely relying on it to lower your cholesterol.
Spices For A Healthy Heart Let Food Be Your Medicine
The ancient Greek physician Hippocrates said, Let food be thy medicine, and medicine thy food. Often referred to as the father of medicine, Hippocrates suggested that disease was caused by behavioral factors, including diet and lifestyle, and not by a curse from the gods.
And, if disease is caused by diet, lifestyle, and other environmental factors, then it should be able to be cured by changing these same factors, including diet.
Nothing in your environment is quite so packed with potential healing agents as your spice cabinet. Spices have been included in cuisines from around the world for as long as people have been eating to improve the taste of food and to provide health-promoting benefits.
Several of these spices, found in nearly every spice cabinet in America, offer particular benefits for a healthy heart and blood vessels. Although many of the constituents in these spices have made their way into your medicine cabinet, the intension of this blog is to guide you in their use in the kitchen with clinically relevant support for nutritionally relevant amounts of these spices.
Cayenne Pepper
Cayenne pepper is a popular spice in Mexican, Cajun, Creole, and Asian cuisines sometimes used fresh, but more often used in the form of dried powder or flakes.
Cayenne pepper also offers potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, which further benefit the cardiovascular system.
Cinnamon
Garlic
Ginger
Turmeric
Read Also: Are Egg Beaters Low In Cholesterol
Reduced Risk Of Cancer
Some studies have related garlic and different individuals of the Allium circle of relatives with a reduced risk of certain cancers. The Iowa Womens Health Study, which covered more than 4,000 women elderly among 55 and 69, located that garlic intake might also decrease the risk of developing colon cancer.
A 30-year study of 155,000 people discovered that garlic consumption was related to a reduction in gastric cancer threat. In that study, individuals who consumed garlic 5 or more times per week had the best discount, at the same time as people who consumed it much less than once a week had the highest risk of gastric cancer.
Similarly, a Chinese study of numerous hundred lung cancer patients found that ordinary consumption of raw garlic was associated with a lower danger of lung cancer.
Garlic Doesn’t Help High Cholesterol
Garlic doesnt do much for the breath and it stinks for lowering cholesterol. Thats the conclusion of the most rigorous, head-to-head study of raw garlic and popular garlic supplements, despite promoters claims to the contrary.
Whether it was eaten raw in heart-healthy sandwiches, or in pills made of powdered or aged garlic, the strong-smelling herb had no effect on cholesterol in people whose levels were already elevated, the government-funded study found.
If garlic was going to have a chance to work, it would have worked in this study, said researcher Christopher Gardner. But it didnt.
Garlic is a longtime folk remedy for a variety of ills, including heart disease, cancer, infections and even mosquito bites. Scientific research on its purported benefits has had conflicting results. Some previous studies suggested garlic might help lower risks for digestive and prostate cancers, or might reduce blood pressure and cholesterol levels others found no benefit.
Health benefits have been thought to come from a sulfur-containing substance called allicin that is released when raw garlic is chopped or crushed. In lab tests, it can be applied directly to cells and has been shown to prevent cholesterol production.
But any direct benefits to the body from allicin may be diluted when garlic is eaten, said Gardner, an assistant professor of medicine at Stanford University.
The study appears in Mondays Archives of Internal Medicine.
Also Check: Shrimp Bad Cholesterol
Salsa Pico De Gallo And More
Forget about mayo or ketchup. Get out your chefs knife and start chopping. Throw together fresh tomatoes, onion, garlic, cilantro, and other heart-healthy ingredients for fresh dips that make snacking healthier.
Be careful with store-bought salsa, which is often high in sodium. You may need to closely monitor your sodium intake if you have heart disease or high blood pressure.
What About Garlic And Cholesterol
While some studies have shown that garlic can benefit cholesterol levels, more research is needed. In particular, scientists are looking to learn more about its long-term effect on cholesterol and the heart.
Cholesterol is a waxy substance that circulates in your blood. There are two types of cholesterol: “bad” cholesterol, or LDL cholesterol, and “good” cholesterol, or HDL cholesterol. Having too much LDL cholesterol and low levels of HDL cholesterol in your blood can raise your risk for severe health problems.
A 2016 study published in the International Journal of Preventive Medicine concluded that a garlic-lemon juice mixture may benefit cholesterol. The small study, which involved 112 people ages 30-60, showed that garlic and lemon juice helped decrease total cholesterol and lower blood pressure. However, researchers recorded the results after only eight weeks.
An analysis of studies done between 1955-2013 also showed that garlic “moderately to significantly” lowers total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels. When taken for more than two months, the garlic helped reduce total cholesterol by 8%.
Recommended Reading: What Is A Normal Ldl Cholesterol Level For A Woman
Lemon And Garlic Drink For Cholesterol Recipe
Although this might be one of the more potent home remedies you can make, it is still a pretty simple recipe. And if made with premium quality ingredients you will be showing a lower level of cholesterol in no time at all. Lets take a look at what you need and how to make it. Your very own lemon and garlic drink.
Ingredients
- Garlic 6 cloves
Method
All you need to make this drink right now at home is the above ingredients and a pot. Place your water on the stove on a low heat. Now juice your lemon and remove the seeds. Add your lemon to the water. Take the papery skin off your garlic cloves and add them to the saucepan.
Now allow the mixture to simmer for ten to fifteen minutes. After letting your mixture cool, put all the ingredients in a blender and blend to a paste. You can now store this paste ready to use. Simply add a spoon of this paste to a glass of water each morning as you start your day.
Lemon And Garlic Drink Recommendations
To make the best lemon and garlic drink for cholesterol, you need to get the best ingredients you can find. We have found some for you that are an excellent mix of quality and value. Here they are.
Best Lemon For Cholesterol You can of course choose fresh lemons for your drink. We love using this 100% Pure Lemon Juice from ReaLemon.
Best Garlic For Cholesterol When making this drink, using good garlic is a very important part of the process. Our favorite are these Siberian Hardneck Garlic Bulbs by Country Creek Acres.
The Verdict: Garlic Helps But Wont Do It Alone
Some researchers say that taking garlic as a supplement with a view to lowering lipid levels cannot be widely recommended as the evidence isnât strong enough.14 They warn that you shouldnât expect to see a miraculous change in your cholesterol numbers. It might help, but may not be good enough to warrant going off any of your medication.
Incidentally, there has been a lot of debate around whether high cholesterol levels do have an adverse effect on your heart health and longevity. While the cholesterolâheart disease conundrum is yet to be resolved, what is emerging is that you need to keep an eye on chronic inflammation that your body is subjected to, be it through processed and refined foods, stress, or a sedentary lifestyle. One hypothesis considers chronic inflammation the trigger for increased cholesterol production. High cholesterol or hypercholesterolemia is, in turn, also linked to increased inflammation.15 It may also affect your liver and kidney and increase the risk of obesity and diabetes. Fortunately, garlic may have a positive impact here thanks to its anti-inflammatory properties, helping counter the inflammation.16
The bottom line? Donât expect garlic to be a miracle cure or a free pass to ignore your cardiovascular health. That said, it is a good addition to your diet as part of a holistic plan to improve your cholesterol levels, alongside lifestyle changes and other dietary interventions.
Don’t Miss: How Much Cholesterol In Egg Beaters
Garlic Lowers Blood Pressure In Hypertensive Subjects Improves Arterial Stiffness And Gut Microbiota: A Review And Meta
1National Institute of Integrative Medicine , Hawthorn, Melbourne, Victoria 3122, Australia
2Department of General Practice, The University of Adelaide, South Australia 5000, Australia
3Torrens University, Melbourne, Victoria 3000, Australia
Correspondence to
Garlic Lowers Fasting Blood Sugar In People With High Cholesterol
In the first study, Mahmoodi et al. looked at the effect of eating raw garlic on three groups of people. Volunteers ate 10 grams of garlic daily for 42 days.
-
Group 1: People who had high fasting blood sugar
-
Group 2: People who had high blood cholesterol
-
Group 3: People who had high blood cholesterol and high fasting blood glucose levels
Eating garlic had no effect on group 1 however, it had a significant effect on groups 2 and 3.
Group 2: had significant decreases in fasting blood sugar, triglycerides and total cholesterol. At the same time good HDL cholesterol increased.
Group 3: had significant decreases in fasting blood sugar, glycated hemoglobin and total cholesterol. Again good HDL cholesterol increased.
Read Also: Pork Cholesterol Amount
How To Consume Garlic To Lower The Cholesterol And High Blood Pressure
Consuming garlic is not something new anymore because it is often applied to a lot of foods. So, we would not have any problems on how to process garlic to be consumed every day. Consuming it from the garlic soup can still be a good yet simple idea for getting its benefits. Still, there are so many ways to lower the cholesterol and high blood pressure. One of the ideas is by making the fruits and vegetables smoothies which are mixed with one or two cloves garlic. One of the ideas is by making smoothies from fresh frozen pineapples and mustard leaf which are mixed with garlic. You can mix and match it with any kinds of fruits and vegetables you like for getting the different flavors. If you want to consume it in single way, you can take one or two clove garlic and slice it thinly. Then you can mesh them and make a ball of garlic. Then, you can swallow it directly. You can do that twice a day regularly to get the perfect and best result. That will be a good way for getting the healthier body by getting the better and stable blood pressure and blood circulation and also the lower level of cholesterol. There is also the simpler idea to get the benefits of garlic, especially for lowering blood pressure and cholesterol, which is by consuming natural supplements that consist of garlic, for example Choleslo.
Does Garlic Lower Cholesterol And Blood Pressure
5/5GarlicGarlicgarlic lowers blood pressurelevelslowercholesterol
Likewise, is garlic good for cholesterol lowering?
Garlic. The cholesterol–lowering effect of garlic is unclear. It could help prevent heart disease, but a 2009 meta-analysis of medical studies concluded that it doesn’t reduce cholesterol specifically. Garlic is thought to have other health benefits , though, including lowering blood pressure.
Secondly, what is the best natural cholesterol lowering supplement? Cholesterol-Lowering Supplements: What Works, What Doesn’t
- Artichoke leaf extract.
- Fenugreek.
- Fiber.
- The bottom line: A diet high in soluble fiber can lower your LDL. The effect is likely to be relatively modest, however, and loading up on soluble fiber may be impractical. Fish oil.
- Garlic.
- Niacin.
One may also ask, is garlic good for high blood pressure and cholesterol?
Garlic has natural antibacterial and antifungal properties. It helps in lowering cholesterol, prevents cancer and several cardiovascular diseases and simultaneously acts as a blood thinner. Garlic contains sulphur containing compounds like allicin, one of the most beneficial high blood pressure natural remedies.
How can I lower my cholesterol quickly?
How To Reduce Cholesterol Quickly
Here are some of the best morning foods for improving your numbers.
Read Also: Shrimp Cholesterol Good Or Bad
How To Lower Cholesterol Naturally
Here are 6 drug-free alternatives for lowering LDL cholesterol.
To avoid a heart attack, research has found that a key strategy is getting LDL cholesterol way down. Striving for LDL levels of 100 and below is good, but dropping to 80 and lower may be even better. Learn how to lower cholesterol naturally.
Go ahead, binge on beans! Enjoy all kinds! Black beans. White beans. Red beans. Pinto beans. Adzuki beans. They’re all champions at actively lowering LDL cholesterol.
Garlic Increases Effectiveness Of Metformin
In the second study, Ashraf et al. gave type 2 diabetic patients with fasting blood sugar over 126 mg/dl either garlic + Metformin or a placebo + Metformin twice a day for 24 weeks. Metformin is a standard antidiabetic drug commonly prescribed to type 2 diabetic patients. The garlic plus Metformin group showed a significant reduction in fasting blood sugar at week 24 as compared to group 2 . At the end of week 24, the garlic + Metformin group also showed a considerable decrease in mean total cholesterol , LDL-C , triglycerides while good HDL cholesterol was significantly increased when compared to the placebo + Metformin group.
This study showed that garlic supplementation may be synergistic with existing medication such as Metformin for type 2 diabetes.
Other studies support these findings. Kannar et al. reported that people using a garlic supplement for 12 weeks decreased total cholesterol by 4.2% and and LDL-C by 6.6%. Dried garlic supplements with standardized alliin concentrations have consistently resulted in a 10-13% reduction in blood cholesterol and triglycerides in people .
Possible mechanisms:
In general, garlic inhibits inflammation while strengthening mitochondria. Mitochondria make energy and healthy mitochondria are linked to healthy humans.
Take home message: If you have elevated cholesterol, high triglycerides or type 2 diabetes eating a clove of garlic everyday may help.
Read Also: Mayo Cholesterol
Eating Well + Exercise
For best results with a healthy lifestyle, new research has found that plunging right in with both healthy eating and exercising is the way to go.3
The Stanford University School of Medicine study involved 200 middle-aged Americans, all sedentary and with poor eating habits. Some were told to launch new food and fitness habits at the same time. Others began dieting but waited several months before beginning to exercise. A third group started exercising but didnt change eating habits till several months later.
All the groups received telephone coaching and were followed for one year. The winning group was the one making food and exercise changes together. The people in this group were most likely to meet U.S. guidelines for exercise and healthy eating , and to keep calories from saturated fat at less than 10% of their total intake of calories.
For best results with a healthy lifestyle, new research has found that plunging right in with both healthy eating and exercising is the way to go.3
Can Garlic Reduce High Cholesterol Levels
Garlic can be effective in reducing elevated total serum cholesterol. Total cholesterol levels greater than 200 mg/dL are considered elevated.
In fact, according to studies, garlic intake can reduce total serum cholesterol by 17 mg/dL! Most noteworthy, garlic can reduce LDL-cholesterol by 9 mg/dL, while slightly increasing HDL-cholesterol levels.
LDL-cholesterol is the bad, while HDL-cholesterol is the good cholesterol. High levels of HDL cholesterol can lower the risk of heart disease and stroke.
Actually, scientists have found that an 8% reduction in cholesterol levels reduces the risk of coronary events by 38%! Hence, eating garlic regularly could protect your heart.
Elevated homocysteine is another key risk factor for the heart as well.
Additionally, garlic protects the heart, as it can help reduce high blood pressure! Hypertension is also one of the major risk factors of cardiovascular disease.
You May Like: How Much Cholesterol In Mussels