How to Make Garlic More Effective for Heart Health
Garlic is a plant with many potential medicinal benefits, including:
- Cardiovascular effects
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- Reduction of mildly elevated cholesterol and triglyceride levels
- Decreased oxidation of LDL cholesterol (antioxidant)
- Improved arterial elasticity
- Reduced platelet stickiness & increased fibrinolytic (anti-clotting) activity
- Anti-microbial actions
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- Anti-bacterial/yeast/viral
- Anti-cancer effects
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- Reduced risk for developing several types of cancer, including colon, stomach, & esophageal
However, as this recent paper notes, for best results it’s important to:
- Crush the garlic and allow it to sit for a few minutes before adding it to a cooked dish. With crushing, alliin, the sulfur-containing amino acid in garlic, comes in contact with the enzyme alliinase, which converts alliin to allicin. Allicin and related sulfur compounds (thiosulfinates) are believed to be the primary compounds responsible for garlic’s healthy effects.
- Only cook the garlic for a brief period of time at moderate heat or lower once it’s added to the dish. The paper’s authors noted that garlic’s anti-platelet strength was preserved in both crushed and uncrushed garlic samples when they were cooked at under 400 degrees F for less than 3 minutes. Whereas cooking for 6 minutes reduced the anti-platelet effect in the crushed garlic and completely suppressed it in the uncrushed sample. Cooking for 10 minutes completely inhibited the anti-platelet effect in both samples.
Garlic prepared and eaten as above is preferred. Garlic supplements with standardized allicin content are an ok second choice. However, since a garlicky taste* can sometimes even be noticed with deodorized supplements, and supplements likely can’t replicate all of the potentially beneficial compounds found in raw garlic, this is a case where I’d definitely go with the food.
* Parsley eaten with or after a meal can help to blunt garlic odor.
Regular and moderate garlic intake (e.g., 1 to 2 cloves per day) may be a useful part of an overall program for maintaining a healthy heart.
Note: Because of garlic’s anti-clotting effects, people taking anticoagulant (blood-thinning) drugs, such as Coumadin or aspirin, should work with their physician or nutritionist to determine if garlic use is safe and appropriate.
