Heart-Health roundup

Could the heart-health benefits of aged garlic extract (AGE) be any more obvious? If there are any skeptics left out there, they should have attended WorldNutra 2003, the International Conference and Exhibition on Functional Foods & Nutraceuticals held from September 28 through October 1 in Las Vegas.

There, researchers presented an impressive array of studies showing that AGE lowers total cholesterol, increases good (HDL) cholesterol, helps thin the blood, lowers blood pressure and even reduces [damage] caused by smoking. "This is tremendous news for people on statin therapy," Harunobu Amagase, PhD, the chief presenter, said of the common cholesterol-lowering medication. "These works clearly show that aged garlic extract has a positive influence on various risk factors of heart disease as opposed to placebo. They suggest that aged garlic extract may be a useful and beneficial dietary addition for people on statins, or for those who have high cardiovascular risks, have a family history related to heart disease, or have undergone heart surgery and/or medical treatment."

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