Aged Garlic...more than just a condiment
by Dr. James Balch, MD co-author of Prescription for Nutritional Healing
Garlic continues to be one of the most popular condiments for cooking as well as for supplementing the diet with in a capsule or tablet. Market studies continue to show that large number of consumers purchase garlic from health food stores and pharmacies with the intention of helping to bolster their immune systems or with hopes of protecting themselves from cardiovascular disease.
While numerous researchers have shown the effectiveness of garlic (raw, cooked or extracts) for lowering cholesterol new research on a specific extract of garlic referred to as Aged Garlic Extract is showing very promising results for actually protecting the arteries from injury associated with oxidative damage, similar to stopping a car from rusting (Lau, Plant Medica, 1997). Like a car however, we must also stop the cause of the rusting and this is often due to poor dietary habits, too much saturated fat and not enough veggies.
Fortunately, while all of us work on improving our diets we can take garlic not only to protect our arteries from damage but stop the damage from even occurring. Aged Garlic Extract, a specific form of garlic, has been shown to protect arteries through its antioxidant properties (Imai, Plant Medica, 1994), meaning it stops the free radicals, unstable molecules, that can cause damage to the arteries from running rampant through out the blood. Often, when left unchecked free radicals can result in hardening of the arteries, heart disease and finally death.
Many individuals ask "why not just consume more fresh garlic?" Certainly this will help however, often family members, because of the offensive odor or individuals with sensitive stomachs, cannot tolerate the large quantities of garlic that are required for a therapeutic effect that has been shown in research. Fortunately Aged Garlic Extract is an appropriate solution as it provides therapeutic levels of garlic without the offensive odor and irritability to the stomach.
With over 150 research papers conducted on the Aged Garlic Extract showing its effectiveness for a number of health conditions, too numerous to mention in this short article, I encourage anyone who is concerned with heart disease or just wants to improve the strength of their immune to start supplementing today with Aged Garlic Extract.