A new Australian study (Dec 2018) published in Frontiers of Nutrition found Kyolic Aged Garlic Extract significantly reduces blood pressure in hypertensive patients similar to first-line standard anti-hypertensive medications i, but cautioned increasing garlic in your diet does not have the same benefits ii.
Researchers were also surprised to observe that the Kyolic Aged Garlic Extract patient group also experienced positive changes in pulse wave velocity, arterial stiffness, inflammatory markers and gut microbiota.
Associate Professor Karin Ried, research director at the National Institute of Integrative Medicine in Melbourne said the reduction in blood pressure was significant across the uncontrolled hypertensive patients, in both the patient groups on standard hypertensive medications and those on no medication.
"The mean blood pressure in patients taking 2 capsules a day, was reduced by 10 mmHg systolic and 5.4 mmHg diastolic, which is the same as standard hypertensive medications; we also observed individual patients whose blood pressure reduced by 40mmHg systolic from 160 to 120 mmHg, which is very significant," said A/Prof Ried.
"More than 60 percent of patients on standard anti-hypertensives report adverse side effects iii and doctors often find it difficult to balance their medications, but Kyolic Aged Garlic Extract can be used in combination with standard medications only producing minor side effects such as feeling bloated during the first week."
"Unfortunately, increasing the amount of garlic in your diet does not lower blood pressure, because when you cook garlic it loses the active component, allicin," she said.
A breakthrough finding researchers didn't expect to find during the study was a marked improvement in gut health, which is correlated to cardiovascular healthiv.
"What we found amazing in this study was the patient group on Kyolic Aged Garlic Extract also had a marked increase in Lactobacillus and Clostridia, the good bacteria in the gut," she said.
"While it wasn't part of the study, we also found the gut health of patients was maintained after the study, indicating intake of Kyolic Aged Garlic, a prebiotic, has a sustained impact on gut health, compared to probiotics which need to be taken daily," A/Prof Karin Ried said.
The study also found an improvement in arterial stiffness, which can benefit everyone.
"As we age our arteries stiffen, making it harder to oxygenate our blood and for our heart to function, but effectively Kyolic Aged Garlic made arteries more flexible, in the three month study, arteries became younger and rejuvenated by five years on average," A/Prof Karin Ried said.
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ABOUT DR RIED: Dr Karin Ried is an Associate Professor at the National Institute of Integrative Medicine in Melbourne. An adjunct A/Prof at Bond University on the Gold Coast and an honorary Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Adelaide.
