Is Garlic Adding to Statin's Protection?

Keep Arteries Squeaky Clean :Garlic adds to statin's protection
by Allison Sarubin Fragakis, RD

(Source:www.mombu.com/medicine/heart)


An old-fashioned remedy may help fight one of the newest identified risk
factors for stroke and heart attack. In a group of high-risk cardiac
patients, researchers found that those taking a garlic supplement for 1
year had a 12% reduction in levels of homocysteine, a chemical that
irritates blood vessel linings, leading to plaque buildup. And although
both study groups were taking powerful cholesterol-lowering drugs called
statins, artery blockages grew 66% more slowly in the garlic takers.

"This was a small study, but we were pleasantly surprised by our
positive results," says Matthew Budoff, MD, assistant professor of
medicine at Harbor-UCLA Research and Education Institute. The study used
supplements of 1,200-mg garlic extract per day.

Allison Sarubin Fragakis, RD, is the author of The Health Professional's
Guide to Popular Dietary Supplements, 2nd edition (American Dietetic
Association, 2002).