Garlic Research

Introduction : The 1990s have been the heyday of Garlic research, with perhaps as many scientific papers on garlic published in this decade alone as in the previous 80 years of this century. There are now well over 2,200 credible scientific papers on all aspects of garlic, including its chemistry, pharmacology, and clinical applications. Research on garlic is beginning to catch-up with at least 70 centuries of human experience with this important herb.

1. Standardized Garlic Powder Reduces Heart Attack Risk : A CLINICAL TRIAL
   A study published in the May issue of Atherosclerosis showed that a garlic powder supplement can help prevent and in some cases, even reverse plaque build-up in the arteries.Researchers have long associated arterial plaque with an increased risk of heart attack and stroke. The study was conducted using rigorous controls (randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled) and took place over a four-year period, making it the longest clinical trial to evaluate the effects of a dietary supplement on reducing heart attack risk.
   
   

2. Sensitivity of food pathogens to garlic. Department of Animal Products Technology, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, India.
   The inhibitory activity of garlic (Allium sativum) against Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhi, Escherichia coli and Listeria monocytogenes was measured by the 'turbidity' method. It was found that garlic has potential for the preservation of processed foods.
   Ref: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=9633635&dopt=Abstract
   
   

3. Allium Vegetables in Cancer Prevention: Dept. of Cancer Chemoprevention, Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute, Kolkata India.
   Commonly used Allium vegetables include garlic, onion, leeks, chives, scallions which are used all over the world in different delicacies. Organosulfur compounds present in Allium vegetables, are proposed to explain the cancer-preventive effects. The inhibition of mutagenesis, modulation of enzyme activities, inhibition of DNA adduct formation, free-radical scavenging, and effects on cell proliferation and tumor growth. Although there is a large body of evidence supporting these mechanisms, they are still speculative, and further research is needed to support causality between such properties and cancer-preventive activity in experimental animals. This article reviews current knowledge concerning allium vegetables and cancer prevention.
   Ref: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=15373701
   
   

4. Helicobacter Pylori - In Vitro Susceptibility to Garlic Extract Nutrition and Cancer 1997.
   In an in vitro model, an aqueous extract of garlic cloves was standardized for its thiosulfinate concentration and tested for its antimicrobial activity on Helicobacter pylori. This is the first report of Helicobacter pylori susceptibility to garlic extract. This may be a new, low-cost intervention strategy with few side effects in populations at high risk for stomach cancer.
   
   Ref: www.chiro.org/nutrition/ABSTRACTS/Helicobacter_Pylori_In_Vitro.shtml
   
   

5. Effects of S-allyl cysteine sulfoxide isolated from Allium sativum and gugulipid on some enzymes and fecal excretions of bile acids and sterols in cholesterol fed rats. Department of Bio-Chemistry, University of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram, India.
   S-allyl cysteine sulfoxide isolated from garlic is more or less as active as gugulipid in controlling hypercholestermia, obesity and derangement of enzyme activities in cholesterol diet fed rats.
   
   Ref: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=8575806&dopt=Abstract