Garlic and Plaque Formation

[Harry Hirsute]

In a study involving 18 adult male mixed European rabbits, garlic supplementation was found to inhibit atherosclerotic changes in the aorta wall triggered by ingestion of oxidized oil.

Rabbits were fed a balanced diet, along with either non-oxidized rapeseed oil or oxidized rapeseed oil, either with garlic or without garlic, for a period of 24 weeks. Rabbits were weighed and blood samples were taken every 6 weeks.

After the 24 weeks, the aortas of the rabbits were dissected and histologically examined.

Results showed that consumption of oxidized rapeseed oil led to disturbed antioxidant status and the development of atherosclerotic changes in the aorta wall, while garlic supplementation inhibited these negative effects.

These results suggest that supplementation with garlic may help to prevent atherosclerosis. Additional research is warranted.

http://www.vitasearch.com/get-clp-summary/36893

[Arrowwind09]

This is a good one Harry. We have taken to eating pickeled garlic with dinner about 6 cloves is quite tolerable when prepared this way. Just save your favorite olive brine and fill the jar with fresh cloves of garlic. Let it sit in the frige for about 2 months and you have it!

[Harry Hirsute]

Arrowwind09,

I've wondered about this. In the past, I've read about the necessity (or desirability) or crushing/smashing fresh garlic prior to use ... to release it's allicin content, I believe.

I wonder if crushing the garlic prior to pickling or roasting would be a good or bad idea?

Any thoughts on this?

Feb. 16, 2007 -- Got a recipe that involves cooking garlic ? You might want to crush the garlic first.

That may be the best way to preserve the herb's healthy compounds during cooking, a new study shows.

Garlic contains compounds shown to help prevent blood clots. But most garlic studies have tested raw garlic, and cooking can damage those anticlotting compounds.

Crushing garlic may help prevent that damage, report the researchers, who include Claudio Galmarini, PhD, of the agricultural sciences faculty at Argentina's Universidad Nacional de Cuyo.

Galmarini's team found that garlic cooked three minutes in boiling water or in an oven at about 400 degrees Fahrenheit has the same amount of the anticlotting compounds as raw garlic.

But cooking uncrushed garlic for six minutes "completely suppressed" those compounds' anticlotting effects, the researchers write.

Galmarini's team then tried crushing the garlic by putting it through a garlic press before cooking.

That helped preserve the compounds, although they still lost much of their anticlotting effects after three to six minutes.

The study appears in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

SOURCES: Cavagnaro, P. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, Feb. 21, 2007; vol 55: pp 1280-1288. News release, American Chemical Society.

[JonB]

Strauss Heart drops contain a lot of garlic

[EarlyBird]

I love the flavor of garlic and usually cut the clove, depending on size
into several smaller pieces, then add it to whatever veggie I am fixing.
From reading this tho, it looks like maybe I'd get more benefit by actually
crushing it.
Advice here?

[Harry Hirsute]

I'm not certain if the cutting and the crushing will provide the same effect. I think the crushing may cover more of the surface-area of the garlic bulb.