Scientists at the University of Kuwait conducted a study to determine if garlic could reduce damage from free radicals, which has been known to lead to vascular disease in people with diabetes and high blood pressure. Measurements of total serum antioxidants were taken from diabetic and hypertensive rates before and after having been treated with garlic. The researchers found that the serum levels of antioxidants had increased significantly in both groups of rats just three weeks after treatment. The diabetic rats also experienced a decrease in serum glucose, while the hypertensive rats had lower systolic blood pressures. The results suggested that garlic is able to increase total antioxidant status.
New studies have also shown that garlic is able to block cancer. A Republic of Korea study identifies diallyl disulfide (DADS) “as the most prevalent oil-soluble sulfur compound in garlic, inhibiting cell proliferation in many cell lines.” The ability of garlic to decrease genetic mutations and reduce the number of small and large lung tumors was demonstrated in another recent study published in the March issue of Mutation Research. In a third study, scientists in the Republic of China found that garlic oil was able to enhance the production of cancer-killing cytokines, as well as to increase the proliferation rate of lymphocytes, which are responsible for the body’s immune response.
The compound responsible for garlic’s healing powers is called Allicin, which has both antibiotic and anti-fungal properties. Allicin is only produced when a whole garlic clove is crushed or chopped, and it begins to degrade quickly. With its high sulfur content, garlic has been used in skin and hair products to improve skin tone and hair shine. Garlic can also be taken as a supplement in the form of garlic extract, which has been found to exhibit many of the same cancer blocking actions and ability to boost antioxidant levels as raw garlic.
News Release: Garlic boosts overall antioxidant levels and blocks cancer www.naturalnews.com March 11, 2009
As part of a study published in the journal PLoS Genetics, Professor Luis Rokeach and his student Antoine Roux from the Université de Montréal Biochemistry made a startling discovery. They found that if a gene for a glucose sensor were removed from yeast cells, those cells survived for as long as cells fed a glucose-restricted diet. Yeast cells were used as the model organism, because they are not only easy to study, but at a basic level, they also age much like human cells. The results of the study suggest that cells don’t age based on what they consume, but on “what they think they are eating.”
This contradicts long-held scientific beliefs that the by-products of broken down sugars are responsible for aging. In the study, Rokeach and Roux found that yeast cells lived longer when the amount of glucose was decreased from their diet. They then asked two key questions: Was the increased lifespan a result of a decreased ability of the cells to produce energy? Or was it due to a decrease in the signal to cells from the glucose sensor? While the researchers found that those cells that could not consume glucose as an energy source were sensitive to the aging effects of sugar, removing the sensor that measures levels of glucose significantly increased lifespan. “Thanks to this study, the link between the rise in age-related diseases and the over-consumption of sugar in today’s diet is clearer. Our research opens a door to new therapeutic strategies for fighting age-related diseases,” says Professor Rokeach.
News Release: Not so sweet: Over-consumption of sugar linked to aging www.sciencedaily.com March 9, 2009
