If you love the smell of garlic coming from the kitchen, either used in an aioli sauce or gracing Italian bread and mixed with butter, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll dodge high blood pressure, but it could be a start. The key is what you eat with the garlic laced food. If you’re topping the meal off with a huge bowl of ice cream or snack on multiple candy bars, don’t expect the benefits to be that great. However, if you eat garlic with salmon, berries, pumpkin seed, beans, broccoli or celery as part of your meal, you’ll boost the blood pressure lowering potential.
Studies show that garlic may lower blood pressure, but is it enough?
Having some garlic butter occasionally isn’t necessarily enough. However, supplements taken consistently have shown benefits in reducing blood pressure by preventing the narrowing of veins. It’s also known for reducing the potential for blood clots. One of the best types of supplements is aged garlic extract. There’s one condition that must be met. If you take them, you have to have adequate vitamin B levels. Studies show that if they’re too low, you won’t get the benefit of lower blood pressure.
It’s the allicin in garlic that makes the difference.
Garlic has been used by the medical community for hundreds of years. Even the father of Western medicine, Hippocrates, prescribed garlic. It’s the allicin in the garlic that gives it the properties to lower blood pressure….but it’s also the allicin that makes it smell so strong. Allicin improves the immune system, protects cells, lowers bad cholesterol levels and lowers the risk of Alzheimer’s. Allicin, a sulfur compound, helps blood vessels dilate, so blood flows more easily. It also reduces the production of angiotensin II, a vasoconstrictor, narrowing the blood vessels and causing blood pressure to rise.
It takes consistent use of garlic to see a big difference.
If you want to eliminate the need for medication, especially if your blood pressure is high, you have to consume between 1/3 to 1 ½ gram per day. Each clove of garlic is about 3 grams, so about half a clove is enough. Do you have to eat it raw? Not necessarily. While some recommend only using raw garlic, there’s a trick to keeping the allicin intact during cooking. It has to be crushed, sliced or chewed to release it. You can crush it with the side of a knife, but the key is to let it sit for ten minutes. The allicin is then created and doesn’t degrade during cooking. It’s all about timing for the benefits.
- Studies show that garlic taken consistently, either in pill form or consumed, may lower your blood pressure by as much as 10%. It lowers both the systolic and diastolic numbers.
- Garlic has other benefits, too. It can help protect brain cells. That can help reduce the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s. It’s the antioxidants in garlic that does this.
- Garlic is known for its ability to boost your immune system. It also contains B6, B1, C, fiber, copper, potassium, manganese, phosphorus, fiber and iron.
- Always check with your health care professional before trying to substitute garlic for blood pressure medication. The higher your blood pressure is, the more important it is to check.
For more information, contact us today at UpFit Training Academy
