![]() ![]() 11 In addition, aged garlic extract has a higher safety profile than other garlic preparations, and does not cause bleeding problems if taken with other blood-thinning medicines such as warfarin. Aged garlic extract contains the active and stable component S-allylcysteine, which allows standardisation of dosage. 8, 9, 10 Although there are several garlic preparations on the market, including garlic powder, garlic oil and raw or cooked garlic, aged garlic extract is the preparation of choice for BP treatment. Garlic supplements have been associated with a blood pressure (BP)-lowering effect of clinical significance in hypertensive patients. 4, 5 As interest in and use of complementary and alternative medicines is high in patients with cardiovascular disease, 6, 7 there is a need to explore the integration of complementary and alternative medicine into the treatment of hypertension. 3 In addition, side effects and complexity of treatment influence treatment adherence. ![]() In Australia, 24% or 3 million of the adult population remained uncontrolled hypertensive in 2003. 1, 2 Current medical treatment with standard antihypertensive medication is not always effective, leading to a large proportion of uncontrolled hypertension. Hypertension affects one billion or one in four adults worldwide, and attributes to about 40% of cardiovascular-related deaths. Our trial suggests aged garlic extract to be an effective and tolerable treatment in uncontrolled hypertension, and may be considered as a safe adjunct treatment to conventional antihypertensive therapy. ![]() Tolerability, compliance and acceptability were high in all garlic groups (93%) and highest in the groups taking one or two capsules daily. Changes in systolic blood pressure in the garlic-1-capsule group and diastolic blood pressure were not significantly different to placebo. Mean systolic blood pressure was significantly reduced by 11.8±5.4 mm Hg in the garlic-2-capsule group over 12 weeks compared with placebo ( P=0.006), and reached borderline significant reduction in the garlic-4-capsule group at 8 weeks (−7.4±4.1 mm Hg, P=0.07). Tolerability was monitored throughout the trial and acceptability was assessed at 12 weeks by questionnaire. Blood pressure was assessed at 4, 8 and 12 weeks and compared with baseline using a mixed-model approach. Participants were allocated to one of three garlic groups with either of one, two or four capsules daily of aged garlic extract (240/480/960 mg containing 0.6/1.2/2.4 mg of S-allylcysteine) or placebo. Subjects/methods:Ī total of 79 general practice patients with uncontrolled systolic hypertension participated in a double-blind randomised placebo-controlled dose–response trial of 12 weeks. Our trial assessed the effect, dose–response, tolerability and acceptability of different doses of aged garlic extract as an adjunct treatment to existing antihypertensive medication in patients with uncontrolled hypertension. Garlic has blood pressure-lowering properties and the mechanism of action is biologically plausible. Hypertension affects about 30% of adults worldwide. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |