garlic benefits

Eat garlic to lower your bad LDL cholesterol

garlic-to-lower-cholesterol

Are you looking for effective, natural ways to lower your cholesterol level? Here’s one – garlic. Garlic is an ingredient that you must be using in your daily food preparations. If not, it’s easily available and you don’t have to necessarily cook it to reap its benefits. In fact, raw garlic is more effective than when cooked.

The medicinal properties of garlic were explored thousands of years ago. But its cholesterol-lowering effect has been controversial with different studies showing conflicting results. Here’s some clinically significant evidence that supports the use of garlic to lower cholesterol.

A study conducted on participants with high cholesterol levels showed that garlic supplementation reduced the blood concentration of total cholesterol in them by 7%. The bad cholesterol or LDL cholesterol was reduced by 10% compared to participants taking a placebo. Another study by Ried K and colleagues reported a total reduction of serum total cholesterol by 17?±?6?mg/dL and LDL cholesterol by 9?±?6?mg/dL in participants having total cholesterol levels greater than 200?mg/dL who used garlic for more than 2 months. Now, this reduction is of clinical significance amounting for total 8% reduction in cholesterol which has been found to reduce the risk of heart disease by 38%.

Although researchers suggest that additional studies are needed to confirm the fact, you can still benefit a lot from garlic due to its vast store of sulphur compounds that act as antioxidants and prevent heart disease by scavenging free radicals causing damage to the arterial walls.

Source: the health site

How to Unleash the Power of Garlic

This seasoning does more than kick up marinara. It stops sniffles, wards off UTIs, and may even help prevent cancer. Who knew garlic could have so many benefits?

Clear up UTIs
Cranberry juice isn’t the only natural way to fight annoying urinary tract infections. A diet rich in garlic can help, too, thanks to the bulb’s natural antimicrobial properties, says Amanda Ursell, author of The Complete Guide to Healing Foods. Garlic bread, anyone?

Crush cancer
The next time you’re cooking, mince the garlic ahead of time. Nutritionists at the American Institute for Cancer Research found that letting chopped or crushed garlic sit for 10 minutes before heating helps it retain a third more of its cancer-fighting sulfur compounds than if it were cooked immediately.

Fight itchy feet
Got athlete’s foot? Reach for garlic, a powerful antifungal, says Debra Rouse, a naturopathic physician in Denver. Just boil several cloves in hot water, cool to a comfortable temperature, pour into a large bowl, and soak your feet. (Boiled and uncrushed garlic won’t leave a smell.)

Combat a cold
At the first sign of the sniffles, try this get-well trick from Gowsala Sivam, PhD, of Bastyr University in Kenmore, Washington. Microwave 2 cloves unpeeled garlic for 25 seconds; let it cool, then peel off the skin and eat. Garlic’s sulfur compounds likely boost the immune system and help fight infection, Sivam says.

Let it bloom:
Plant garlic next to your rose bushes to naturally repel pests.

Source: health