Aged Garlic

Article By Bryan Kanner --
A food that has thousands of years of folklore and quaint anecdotes is the pungent food known as garlic. It's amply represented in any respectable Italian dish but many cultures have benefitted from its use. It is well known as a natural antibiotic and antiviral as well as a general immune system booster. Garlic contains many different sulphur containing compounds. One of these compounds, Allicin, is used as a selling point in many garlic products. Unfortunately, this volatile oil soluble compound is not stable so that touting this as the active ingredient is in fact misleading. The process of aging produces water soluble compounds off as S-AllYL cysteine and S Allyl Mercoptocysteine, these are substances with far reaching health benefits. Kyolic, my favorite aged garlic company has spent millions in research showing numerous cardio vascular benefits of using aged garlic. It has been shown to be a potent inhibitor of atheroslerosis. It is an effective anti platelet aggregator as well as lowering homocysteine levels. Additionally, it can also raise HDL cholesterol levels while lowering LDL levels. Clearly, this has far reaching cardiovascular implications. There are additional benefits including chelation of heavy metals, inhibiting toxic transcription factors as well as protecting against age related cognitive decline. I'm sure further research will support what all of us already know. Garlic is an important nutrient for longevity.

Take Care, Bryan
House of Nutrition

Any information or suggestions by our Nutritionist not intended to cure or diagnose disease. It is offered as information only and should only be used in conjunction with the advise of your primary healthcare provider.

Questions? Comments? Feedback? Drop me a line at email - Bryan Kanner, BS CNC CNHP is our staff certified nutritionist at the Yonkers, NY office of House of Nutrition.