How to Support a Healthy Heart
“Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food.”
Those are famous words from the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates, often called the father of Western medicine.
He prescribed garlic to treat various medical conditions — and modern science has confirmed many of these beneficial health effects.
Garlic — that bane of vampires and daters — might be worth embracing for your health. The white bulbous herb, also known as allium sativum, is a cousin of the onion, leek, and chive. For thousands of years, garlic has been used as a seasoning; some cultures have also used it for medicinal purposes to treat various conditions.
In this article, we discuss the immense benefits of garlic for heart health.
Photo by Robina Weermeijer on Unsplash
Benefits of garlic for the heart
Garlic contains active compounds that can reduce blood pressure
Cardiovascular diseases like heart attack and stroke are responsible for more deaths than other conditions (1).
High blood pressure, or hypertension, is one of the most critical factors that may lead to these diseases.
Human studies have found garlic supplements to significantly reduce blood pressure in people with high blood pressure (2, 3, 4).
In one study, 600–1,500 mg of aged garlic extract was just as effective as Atenolol at reducing blood pressure over 24 weeks (5).
Supplement doses must be pretty high to have the desired effects. The amount needed is equivalent to about four cloves of garlic per day.
It helps in reducing stress
Garlic includes antioxidants that are helpful for the body and the heart. A high intake of garlic increases the antioxidant enzymes in the body and reduces oxidative stress, which also causes hypertension. So including garlic in your diet can help cleanse the body and relieve hypertension.
Garlic improves cholesterol levels
Garlic can lower total and LDL (bad) cholesterol.
For those with high cholesterol, garlic supplements appear to reduce total and LDL cholesterol by about 10–15% (6, 7, 8).
Looking at LDL (bad) and HDL (good) cholesterol specifically, garlic appears to lower LDL but has no reliable effect on HDL (9, 10, 11, 12, 13).
Garlic can detoxify heavy metals in the body
Garlic helps prevent organ damage because of its healing properties and thus helps detoxify heavy metals in the body that can worsen heart health if not broken down. With the increase of toxins in the air due to pollution, garlic may be an excellent food item to include in your diet to ensure that the presence of heavy metals like lead in the body is taken care of for good.
Garlic may prevent blood clots
In one study of people with peripheral occlusive arterial disease, patients who took an 800 mg garlic powder supplement for 12 weeks experienced a “significant decrease” in the thickness of their blood (Banerjee, 2002). Another study found that people with coronary artery disease taking a garlic powder supplement had less “platelet aggregation,” or blood cells sticking together. Thick, sticky blood can lead to blood clots, stroke, and heart problems (14).
Garlic regulates heart rate
In animal studies, garlic has been found to have a “significant antiarrhythmic effect” (15), stabilizing irregular heartbeats. In humans, atrial fibrillation is an irregular heartbeat linked to an increased risk of blood clots, stroke, and heart failure, among other cardiovascular issues.
Photo By jijomathai
The best drink to support the heart
This section will show you how to make garlic water at home. What you do is:
· Crush one clove of garlic
· Put the crushed garlic in 8–12 ounces of water.
· Add a teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil.
· Allow the whole mixture to sit for about 15 minutes because you want all the phytonutrients released from the garlic after you crush it.
The extra virgin olive oil helps to facilitate the absorption of some of these nutrients since they are fat.
· Drink up your garlic water.
Here’s an important point to note. Garlic water isn’t just meant for drinking. You can add it to your food or take it as a supplement. There are probably more than 100 ways to take garlic.
However, ensure that you don’t take the Chinese version of garlic because they grow with chlorinated chemicals and sometimes use sewage as their fertilizer.
You’re better off getting them locally, or you grow them yourself.
Takeaway
For thousands of years, garlic was believed to have medicinal properties. Finally, science is now beginning to confirm it.
If you’re taking blood-thinning medications, talk with your doctor before drastically increasing your garlic intake.
If you’re looking to reap the beneficial effects of garlic, first, you can increase your garlic consumption by adding more raw garlic to your diet. For example, you can add fresh garlic to salads, egg scrambles, healthy dressings and sauces, and meat dishes. Or, if you’re feeling hardcore, you can eat whole garlic cloves.
Disclaimer: Dr. Berner does not diagnose, treat, or prevent any medical diseases or conditions; instead, he analyzes and corrects the structure of his patients with Foundational Correction to improve their overall quality of life. He works with their physicians, who regulate their medications. This blog post is not designed to provide medical advice, professional diagnosis, opinion, treatment, or services to you or any other individual. The information provided in this post or through linkages to other sites is not a substitute for medical or professional care. You should not use the information in place of a visit, consultation, or the advice of your physician or another healthcare provider. Foundation Chiropractic and Dr. Brett Berner are not liable or responsible for any advice, the course of treatment, diagnosis, or any other information, services, or product you obtain through this article or others.
