Freshly cut garlic good for heart: Study

From times immemorial, garlic is known well to cure disease ranging from common cold to plague. The wide variety of medicinal properties found in garlic has once again been affirmed by the scientists at the Cardiovascular Research Center, University of Connecticut School of Medicine.

The current study is the first study that has pin pointed the heart healthy effects of garlic. As per the scientists, hydrogen sulfide, which exudes out of garlic when it is freshly cut, is very good for the health of heart.

However, processed, cooked or dried garlic lacks the heart healthy chemical- hydrogen sulfide, scientists remarked.

Consuming freshly cut garlic that releases hydrogen sulfide, a compound which boosts up the blood circulation by relaxing the blood vessels, is a natural and easy way to improve health of the heart.

The study authors stated that the study's findings “are potentially important, as there is a growing interest among the heart patients to use natural and complementary medicine. Current evidence indicates that one in three American adults use some form of alternative medicine.”

They further added, “The results of the present study strongly suggest that using fresh garlic would provide maximal and added benefits to the cardiovascular patients”.

Study researcher Dipak K. Das and his colleagues artificially caused heart attacks in two groups of rats in the laboratory.

For about thirty days prior to inducing the heart attacks, few rats were given freshly crushed garlic and few others were given processed garlic.

Das said, "Both crushed and processed garlic reduced damage from lack of oxygen, but the fresh garlic group had a significantly greater effect on restoring good blood flow in the aorta and increased pressure in the left ventricle of the heart."

When researchers evaluated the extent of heart recovery in rats, they found the rats that were administered freshly cut ginger had lesser heart damage than the ones administered processed garlic.

Implications of the study
The current study openly challenges the belief that antioxidants present in garlic are responsible for its medicinal properties.

In fact, the study evaluates the effects of garlic on the health of heart depending on the form - freshly cut, or processed and in the way it is consumed.

The study researchers maintain that raw garlic is much more effective in controlling the levels of serum cholesterol and triglyceride. On the other hand, processed or boiled garlic has insignificant effects.

Therefore, raw garlic can effectively cut the risk of first or repeat heart attack as it has the ability to control cholesterol levels. This accounts for minimal heart damage as well.

Scientists recommend that it is better to add cloves of freshly cut garlic than processed or boiled garlic to the daily diet.