Garlic ranks highly among foods that help prevent disease, largely due to its high content of organosulfur compounds and antioxidant activity. Fresh garlic, however, is not for everyone; it can cause indigestion and its pungent odor, that lingers on the breath and skin, is a social deterrent.
These disagreeable effects of fresh garlic are due to allicin, an oxidant, released upon cutting or chewing the clove. Scientific studies show, however, that garlic does not have to be fresh to be effective nor is its smell required for its health benefits.
A garlic extract, called Aged Garlic Extract, has been developed based on the traditional usage of garlic. Instead of using heat, Aged Garlic Extract is aged naturally for 20 months. The unique natural aging process adds greatly to the value of garlic:
-the harsh and irritating compounds are significantly reduced
-the pungent odor of garlic is also reduced
-sulfur-containing compounds, such as alliin and allicin, are converted to many other sulfur-containing compounds, which are mainly water-soluble. Aged Garlic Extract has been studied extensively and shown to have almost all known garlic benefits.
For more than 5,000 years dating back to ancient Egypt garlic has been used in medicine. Other ancient cultures, including the Greeks, Romans, and Chinese, have used garlic as well. As part of the Allium species, garlic is closely related to onions, shallots, and leeks. It’s a good source of manganese, vitamin B6, vitamin C, selenium, and fiber.
Aged Garlic Extract (AGE) has been the subject of more than 700 medical studies assessing its various aspects, including garlic’s benefits for cardiovascular health, immunity support, and even cognition.
AGE is slightly different than the garlic clove used for cooking. Similar to other garlic forms (powder, oil, or extract), AGE must be processed before it can be used as a supplement. Raw, sliced garlic is submerged in ethanol and stored for 20 months.
This process naturally stabilizes the sulfur compounds found in garlic, making it easier to digest and increasing its antioxidant content. The aging process also helps remove many of the irritants, oxidants, and odorous components from raw garlic.
As a supplement, AGE can deliver a more uniform dose of garlic at a higher concentration than eating raw garlic cloves, and a supplement possesses a high bioavailability rating it is easily absorbed by the body, crossing into the bloodstream and organ tissues.
Recent scientific findings:-
Recent scientific findings have given validity to these traditional methods for preparing garlic. It is well-known that garlic cloves contain alliin and the enzyme, alliinase. Cutting or crushing garlic cloves activates alliinase, which catalyzes the reaction that converts alliin to allicin.
However, allicin is an odorous, highly unstable and reactive/oxidative compound which readily decomposes to other sulfur-containing compounds (5, 6). Therefore, raw garlic and related preparations are chemically unstable and have been known to cause side effects, such as stomach disorders and allergic reactions when taken internally (7, 8).
Thus, such preparations would be of limited application. Furthermore, since lack of bioavailability of allicin has been shown, garlic preparations containing allicin can be useful only for external application. On the other hand, processed garlic is rich in a variety of sulfur-containing compounds which may act synergistically or antagonistically to provide the benefits of garlic. Since these preparations contain little or none of the harsh and irritating compounds in raw garlic, they would cause less undesirable effects when consumed internally.
Recent studies have shown that AGE contains powerful antioxidant compounds, such as carboxylic acid and L-arginine, which play important roles in combating oxidant-induced conditions that occur as the body ages. AGE provides critical nutrients used by the body to produce its own antioxidants for protecting itself from radiation, neutralizing chemicals, and clearing out toxins.
It also supports healthy cell production at the DNA level. These properties make AGE an excellent choice for anti-aging support.
Cardio:
Among many benefits, AGE may prevent cardiovascular disease. It can aid in blood vessel health by helping maintain proper blood pressure; studies have shown that AGE is effective in lowering systolic blood pressure by approximately 10 points. It also lowers bad cholesterol (LDL), increases good cholesterol (HDL), and decreases calcified plaque buildup.
These health improvements may prevent cardiac events like a stroke or heart attack. AGE also lowers levels of homocysteine, an amino acid related to a high risk for heart disease.
Detox:
Another important benefit of AGE is its ability to help the liver. The organosulfur components of AGES- allyl cysteine and S-propyl cysteine are water soluble and help fortify the liver’s glutathione production. This is a very powerful antioxidant that helps the body eliminate toxins at a cellular level. Glutathione helps prevent damage to liver cells caused by the toxicity of several drugs even aspirin and acetaminophen. AGE also assists in the conversion of enzymes in the liver, which are responsible for the detoxification of heavy metals, chemicals, and other toxins.
Immunity:
AGE has been shown to increase the activity and number of immune cells. It boosts the activity of natural killer cells, which attack foreign bacteria and virus cells a first line of defense against the common cold and other infections.
AGE also helps the body slow the release of histamine, an immune-system response that is commonly associated with allergies. It is also an antifungal, preventing the growth of candida and similar fungal organisms.
Other Benefits:
Due to its antioxidant properties, AGE may also assist in reducing stress, physical pain, and fatigue. It has been suggested that AGE may help regulate body weight by increasing sugar metabolization; and it supports brain health by benefitting memory and nerve growth.
Dosage:
Although many of the same benefits can be seen by consuming raw garlic, garlic oil, or garlic powder, one 1,000-mg dose of AGE is equivalent to six or seven cloves of raw garlic. AGE is easier on the stomach and highly digestible, but it may cause heartburn, in some cases, if taken on an empty stomach.
Benefits of garlic supplementation can typically be observed after three months of use. Because garlic thins the blood, consult a physician before taking the supplement if you are currently taking any medication.
Conclusions:
Aged garlic extract (Kyolic) provides the health benefits of fresh garlic and often improves upon it. Safe, effective and rich in antioxidants, AGE:
* Protects against cardiovascular diseases, reducing risk factors for heart attacks and stroke: lowers LDL cholesterol, by the same mechanism as statins, reduces triglycerides, elevates HDL, reduces homocysteine and blood pressure, increases circulation in capillaries, prevents LDL oxidation, clot-forming platelet activity and inflammation, preventing coronary atherogenic plaques.
* Has anti-cancer activity, protects against free radical and carcinogens induced DNA damage and increases carcinogen detoxification.
* Protects against toxic effects of pollution, UV light and drug toxicity.
* Boosts immunity and prevents viral, bacterial and yeast infections and allergies.
* Enhances vigor, reduces fatigue and stress.
* Anti-aging and neuroprotective effects, prevents neuron death, enhances memory, learning and cognition and stimulates growth and branching of neurons of the memory region of the brain, the hippocampus.
* Stops the growth of a wide variety of human cancer cells, including breast, colon, and prostate cancer, melanoma and erythroleukemia and has potential as an adjuvant in cancer therapy.
Taken regularly, aged garlic extract (Kyolic) provides a comprehensive health care regimen.
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