Researchers at the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM) have conducted research on the cardioprotective properties of aged black garlic. The results, published in the Journal of Functional Foods, show that this new functional food can attenuate the decline in cardiac contractility following a myocardial infarction in rats.
This type of garlic is widely used as a condiment in Asian cuisine and, in recent years, its use has extended to North America and Europe. This product is obtained from common garlic that undergoes an accelerated ageing process with controlled temperature and humidity parameters.
The resulting product contains a higher content of polyphenols, polyunsaturated fatty acids, such as linolenic acid, and sulfur compounds, especially S-allyl cysteine AC, which gives it a higher antioxidant capacity, than conventional garlic.
The results of the study showed that the extract of black garlic has a potent vasodilator effect on the coronary arteries, and that the administration of this extract before and after an ischemic (infarction) process prevents the reduction of cardiac contractility induced by it. The effect on cardiac contractility was found to depend on the dose. The scientists also discovered that high doses of black garlic extract induces vasodilation, and the expression of some anti-inflammatory markers and antioxidants.
Garlic (Allium sativum L.) has been known to help prevent the risk of cardiovascular diseases for a very long time. Relatively recent studies have revealed its antithrombotic and antihypertensive properties, due in part to the active S-allyl cysteine (SAC), which reduces oxidative and inflammatory stress and potentiates the release of vasodilatory substances such as nitric oxide (NO) and Hydrogen sulfide (H2S). Both substances are produced by vascular endothelial cells and play an important role in the regulation of vascular tone.
Source: infooders.com