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The Health Benefits of Garlic:
Garlic is Heart Healthy
by
Kathy Kastan, LCSW, MA ED, and Suzanne Banfield, PhD, with Wendy Leonard
and the Members of WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with
Heart Disease
Excerpted from
WomenHeart's All Heart Family Cookbook:
Featuring the 40 Foods Proven to Promote Heart Health
www.womensheart.org
Considered so sacred by the ancient Egyptians, it was placed in the
tombs of Pharaohs. Believed to be so powerful by the Greeks and Romans,
they ritually consumed it prior to going to war. So loved by the
Israelites, they pined for it when wandering the desert. Of what are we
speaking? Garlic… of course.
Hippocrates and Pliny the Elder strongly encouraged the consumption of
garlic because of its profound health virtues. Indeed, the "stinking
rose" (and a member of the lily family) has a long history of offering a
veritable cornucopia of heart healthy benefits--a reputation that it
absolutely deserves.
Thanks to garlic's rich antioxidant content in the form of allicin, plus
vitamins A and C, study after study has shown that regularly eating
garlic can lower LDL and raise HDL cholesterol levels, as well as
prevent, reduce, and even reverse the development of atherosclerosis.
Garlic is also a terrific source of salt-lowering potassium, which in
turn reduces blood pressure. And it's rich in folate, which lowers blood
pressure and homocysteine levels, relaxes blood vessels, and improves
blood flow. Plus, garlic has been shown to reduce blood sugar levels,
help prevent the formation of blood clots, and stave off heart
disease--and reduce the risk of suffering a heart attack.
Heart Helper Extraordinaire
A study investigated how garlic might benefit 30 people with preexisting
coronary heart disease. Each day for 3 months, participants consumed 1
gram of peeled and crushed raw garlic. The results showed a significant
reduction in total cholesterol and triglycerides and a significant
increase in HDL. The study also concluded that garlic successfully
inhibits the formation of blood clots.
Another study investigating whether eating garlic might help reduce
blood clots followed men ranging in age from 40 to 50 who ate one clove
of garlic (approximately 3 grams) each day for 16 weeks. Tested 6 months
after their last daily clove, the men, on average, reduced their
cholesterol levels by 20 percent and reduced their serum thromboxane--a
lipid in your blood that encourages clot formation--by a dramatic 80
percent!
Then there was a study investigating garlic's impact on moderately high
cholesterol levels. Every day for 6 months, 56 men ages 32 to 68
consumed 7.2 grams of pure garlic extract. On average, they achieved a 6
to 7 percent reduction in total cholesterol, a 4.6 percent reduction in
LDL cholesterol, and a 5.5 percent decrease in blood pressure.
Heart Health Benefits
-
Lowers "bad" LDL cholesterol
-
Lowers triglycerides
-
Raises "good" HDL cholesterol
-
Lowers blood pressure
-
Lowers homocysteine levels
-
Inhibits blood clot formation
-
Reduces plaque buildup
-
Improves blood flow
-
Lowers blood sugar
-
Improves glycemic control
So plan your meals accordingly and make Garlic a part of your life
everyday.
Recipe
Happy Heart Pasta Primavera
"I wanted to put together an easy dish that was heart healthy and at the
same time would be a favorite for the entire family. I started with a
family choice of pasta, and then added my favorite heart-wise foods.
Everyone loves it!"
- Marci B., Lake Placid, Florida
8 ounces whole wheat rotini pasta
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 carrot, sliced
1 small yellow squash, sliced
1 cup broccoli florets
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4-1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 1/2 cups small frozen cooked shrimp, thawed
1/2 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1/3 cup (1 1/3 ounces) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1. Prepare the pasta according to package directions. Drain and place in
a large serving bowl.
2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add
the onion, bell pepper, and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for
3 minutes, or until lightly browned. Add the carrot, squash, broccoli,
black pepper, and crushed red pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, for 5
minutes longer, or until crisp-tender.
4. Stir in the shrimp and tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes, or until
heated through. Pour over the pasta and sprinkle with the cheese.
Serves 6
Heart healthy ingredients: 9
Per serving: 296 calories, 103 calories from fat, 12 g total fat, 2 g
saturated fat, 7 g monounsaturated fat, 2 g polyunsaturated fat, 36 mg
cholesterol, 126 mg sodium, 37 g carbohydrates, 6 g fiber, 5 g sugar, 12
g protein
About the Authors:
Kathy Kastan, LCSW/MAEd, is Immediate Past President of the Board of
Directors of WomenHeart; a national organization dedicated to reducing
death and disability among women living with heart disease. Ms. Kastan
is the co-author of the newly released
WomenHeart’s All Heart Family Cookbook. Ms. Kastan’s is the author
of
“From the Heart: A Woman’s Guide to Living Well with Heart Disease”,
2007 by Da Capo Lifelong Books—a member of the Perseus Books Group.
. She resides with her husband and three boys in Memphis, Tennessee. For
more information visit
www.womensheart.org.
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