Heart Health – 5 Ways Garlic Helps Your Heart
If there were only one thing you could take to keep your heart and whole system healthy, garlic would be an excellent choice. This member of the onion family can work wonders in keeping your heart and whole body in good condition.
(1.) It lowers blood pressure. It is believed to relax and open up your blood vessels which allows blood to flow more freely thus lowering blood pressure.
(2.) It lowers cholesterol levels in your blood. Medical researchers who reviewed studies which had been done on the relationship between cholesterol levels and consumption of garlic found that eating just one half clove daily could reduce cholesterol levels by 9%.
(3.) It lowers the stickiness of blood so that it is less likely that blood platelets will stick together and form clots. Clots can cause heart attacks or stroke when they block arteries.
(4.) It helps to dissolve any clots which form in your blood. If you do have a clot in your bloodstream it helps your bodies natural defenses to dissolve it.
(5.) It prevents the oxidation of LDL cholesterol which is the bad type of cholesterol. When it is oxidised it can build up in your arteries and cause a blockage eventually. This is a prime cause of heart attacks.
The heart healthy benefits of regular consumption of garlic seem to be cumulative over a period of time. Even a small quantity in your daily diet will work wonders for your health. The fresh cloves are most likely the best, but many people shy away from this because of the breath odor it causes. This is indeed something that is antisocial but fortunately there are odorless supplements which can be taken instead of the fresh cloves. Some garlic tablets are made with an enteric coating which does not dissolve till reaching the intestines. This removes the risk of a breath odor problem.
There are aged kyolic garlic supplements which are nearly odor free and have been proven effective. The commercial Kwai supplement is enteric coated and has been found effective in clinical trials. Garlic should be taken only with your doctors approval if you are already on anti-clotting drugs such as aspirin or Warfarin.
