A Garlic Supplement that Reverses Heart Disease
Garlic’s medicinal qualities—for the heart and for respiratory and immune health—have been known for centuries. But Aged Garlic Extract, an odorless form used in supplements, has a uniquely documented quality: It can reverse heart disease, as well as help to prevent it.
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Among more than 4,000 scientific articles about garlic in the National Library of Medicine, at least 870 are about Aged Garlic Extract. Cardiologist Matthew Budoff, MD, a professor of medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, and a leader in preventive cardiology, has done some of the most interesting research.
“When I started to work with Aged Garlic Extract, I didn’t expect it to have a huge effect,” he says. “I went from being a skeptic to now prescribing it in my clinical practice.”
What Studies Found
Budoff’s placebo-controlled human trials used noninvasive imaging technology to test the effects of Aged Garlic Extract on arteries. He was surprised to find that the supplement slowed and reversed the growth of plaque. It also lowered cholesterol by 10 percent and lowered blood pressure by three to eight points. “There are very few therapies that we’ve ever discovered in medicine that actually reverse heart disease,” he says. “I’m very impressed with Aged Garlic Extract—it does what other agents have failed to do.”
Will Garlic or Other Garlic Supplements Work?
When it comes to eating garlic, there isn’t a standard recommended amount for heart health. Studies have estimated that anywhere from one to three raw cloves per day would be therapeutic, but eating that much garlic can cause digestive upset, not to mention garlic breath.
How to Use Aged Garlic Extract
Based on studies, anyone with heart disease should take 1,200 mg of Aged Garlic Extract (made by Kyolic). To prevent heart disease, you can take the same amount: 1,200 mg daily.For anyone who does not have heart disease, Budoff recommends taking the supplement if:
- You have a family history of early heart disease
- You have prediabetes or diabetes
- Your BMI (Body Mass Index) is over 30
- You have high blood pressure
- You have high cholesterol
- You smoke
- You’re a healthy man over 40
- You’re a healthy woman over 50
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