Garlic = Healthy

Garlic's breath of health

Cholesterol Reducer
There is little doubt that garlic reduces blood cholesterol. In studies of
people with high cholesterol (over 200), one-half to one whole garlic
clove
daily typically lowered their levels by about 9 percent, according to a
major
review of the evidence by Stephen Warshafsky at New York Medical College
in
Valhalla. Benefits showed up in a month and also came from garlic
supplements.
Tufts University Diet and Nutrition Letter suggests two cloves of garlic a
day
might be as potent as some cholesterol-lowering drugs. Artery Protector A
newly discovered garlic plus: It prevents bad-type LDL cholesterol from
oxidizing, a process that initiates plaque buildup on artery walls, which
can
lead to clogging, heart attack and stroke. The theory is that unoxidized
cholesterol is not very harmful. In a study by University of Kansas
researchers, taking 600 milligrams of powdered garlic every day for two
weeks
reduced LDL oxidation by a remarkable 34 percent. So garlic eaters might
have
less harmful cholesterol than non-garlic eaters with identical cholesterol
counts. Blood Thinner Studies suggest that garlic compounds help thin the
blood, says Eric Block, professor of chemistry at the State University of
New
York at Albany. Block has isolated a garlic chemical, ajoene, (ajo is
Spanish
for garlic) with anti-coagulant activity equal or superior to that of
aspirin.
Raw garlic (three cloves a day) improved clot-dissolving activity by about
20
percent in a double-blind study of medical students in India. Cooking
garlic
might enhance its anti-clotting activity. Cancer Blocker Much research
shows
that garlic contains many chemicals that in laboratory animals block
cancers of
every type, including breast, liver and colon. A specific garlic compound
suppressed the growth of prostate cancer cells in test tubes by about 25
percent, reports John Pinto of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in
New
York. Dedicated garlic eaters may escape certain cancers. Example: In a
recent
study of 42,000 older women in Iowa, those who ate garlic more than once a
week
were half as likely to develop colon cancer as non-garlic eaters.
Infection
Fighter Garlic kills viruses responsible for colds and the flu, according
to
tests by James North, a microbiologist at Brigham Young University. Eat
garlic
when you feel a sore throat coming on, he says, and you may not even get
sick.
(Eat garlic when you're stuffed up, too: It acts as a decongestant.) Other
studies suggest that garlic revs up immune functioning by stimulating
infection-fighting T-cells. I recommend eating one or two cloves of raw
garlic
a day to people with chronic or recurrent infections, says Andrew Weil of
the
University of Arizona College of Medicine, author of Natural Health,
Natural
Medicine. His tip: Cut raw cloves into small pieces and swallow them like
pills. Baby 'Appetizer' Even babies like garlic. When nursing mothers eat
garlic, infants stay longer at the breast and drink more, not less, milk,
according to tests at Monnel Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia. To
get
the most benefit -- At the Market Buy unpackaged garlic, so you can feel
the
bulb. It should be solid, not light, airy or dried out. Press the cloves
with
your fingertips to be sure they're firm. Look for large-cloved bulbs in
which
the outer skin is tight, unbroken and free of soft spots. -- In the
Kitchen
Keep garlic in a cool, dry place. Store it in any container that allows
good
air circulation, such as special ceramic garlic jars with vent holes or
any
glass jar, small box, basket or similar container, loosely covered. Most
experts do not advise refrigerating garlic. Peeled garlic cloves, tightly
wrapped, can become moldy rather quickly in the refrigerator. Freezing,
too,
ruins uncooked garlic. Cloves that have sprouted are all right to use but
may
be milder in taste. Caution: If you make dressings, oils, butters or
marinades
containing garlic, be sure to keep them refrigerated, and don't store them
longer than two weeks. Otherwise, they pose a threat of potentially deadly
botulism. Raw or cooked? -- For anti-bacterial or anti-viral effect, only
raw
garlic will do. Both raw and cooked garlic seem to have cardiovascular,
decongestive and anti-cancer benefits. -- Eating more than three raw
cloves a
day can cause gas, bloating, diarrhea and fever in some people. Cooked
garlic
is gentler on the stomach. -- All garlic (crushed, chopped in jars, paste,
even garlic powder off the spice shelf) can have health benefits. Garlic
Breath Eating parsley or mints or sloshing mouthwash only temporarily dims
garlic breath. Garlic infuses your blood and lungs, typically giving off
an
odor for 4-18 hours. The strength and duration of the odor depend on your
body's individual reaction.