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Aged Garlic Extract Significantly Slows Progression of Atherosclerosis and Improves Blood Pressure
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Affecting more than 13 million people, coronary artery disease (CAD) is the single most common cause of death in America. According to a new UCLA clinical study Kyolic Aged Garlic Extract (AGE) has a well-established clinical record for mitigating numerous cardiovascular risk factors that play a role in CAD. Now a pooled study presented at the American College of Cardiology’s 64th Annual Scientific Session & Expo adds the ability to lower blood pressure and slow the progression of arterial calcification to AGE’s list of cardiovascular benefits.
These types of studies are what we all need in order to have confidence that nutritional products can be beneficial. There are 10’s of thousands of clinical and other studies on the effects and benefits of nutrition. AGE has over 700 studies. This is a huge knowledge base that should give you confidence. Dr. Budoff is a respected preventive cardiologist who has conducted four double-blind, placebo controlled clinical studies on the effect of AGE on cardiovascular health. The benefits are significant.
Coronary artery calcification is a key marker of plaque formation in coronary arteries. As calcium deposits gradually build up in the inner lining of the arteries (the endothelium), plaque forms. Over time, this buildup of plaque causes arteries to become stiff and narrow, limiting blood flow. When severe calcification occurs, it can deprive the heart of oxygen and result in a life-threatening heart attack or stroke.
During the study, which was conducted at the Harbor-University of California, Los Angeles Medical Center, four placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomized studies were pooled to examine AGE’s effect on blood pressure. The studies selected involved a total of 161 people who were randomized to take either 1,000 mg of AGE or a placebo daily for one year. All of the subjects had their blood pressure checked at the beginning and the end of the study. Testing was also done to determine the progression of coronary artery calcification. One year later, the UCLA researchers noted that coronary artery calcification was significantly lower in those who had taken the AGE supplements. In fact, AGE inhibited the progression of coronary artery calcification an average 1.78 fold compared to the placebo over the course of the study. What’s more, the researchers found that there were marked reductions in diastolic blood pressure among the participants who took AGE.
According to Matthew Budoff, MD, “These new findings provide cardiologists and internists with an additional tool for patients who are at a high risk of cardiovascular disease. It also gives patients with mild to moderate cardiovascular disease a proactive way to reduce those risk factors.”
About Dr. Matthew Budoff
Dr. Matthew Budoff is an associate professor of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and is the director of cardiac CT at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center Dr. Budoff presented his findings at the 2014 International Garlic Symposium. Dr. Budoff presented his three placebo-controlled double-blinded randomized trials using Kyolic Aged Garlic Extract (AGE), titled as “Preventive Effects of Garlic against Cardiovascular Disease.” He demonstrated that Aged Garlic Extract therapy slowed atherosclerosis progression (as measured by serial coronary artery calcium), improved blood vessel function, reduced LDL cholesterol and improved C-reactive protein, homocysteine and high density lipoprotein levels. This helps establish garlic therapy as an anti-atherosclerotic therapy in patients with and without coronary artery disease.
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