Garlic and Hypertension

 9. Clinical Studies on Garlic and Hypertension

Garlic shows promise for promoting cardiovascular health, especially in managing blood pressure. 

Garlic and garlic-based supplements help to manage hypertension and related risk factors, such as atherosclerosis, hyperlipidemia, thrombosis, and diabetes [17].

Blood Pressure Reduction

Results from studies that used garlic supplements suggest their potential to lower blood pressure, especially in individuals with mild hypertension. AGE appears to be as effective as some medications for treating uncontrolled hypertension [42,55]. In addition, it significantly lowered arterial stiffness, pulse pressure, central blood pressure, pulse wave velocity, and gut microbiota [56]. Garlic supplements reduced the SBP by an average of 8.3 ± 1.9 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) by 5.5 ± 1.9 mmHg, which is similar to typical anti-hypertensive drugs, according to a meta-analysis of 12 studies that involved 553 hypertensive participants. This reduction was linked to a 16–40% lower risk of cardiovascular events [56].

Research suggests a dose-dependent effect, with higher doses and longer durations potentially leading to greater reductions. Two studies looked at various levels of garlic consumption. In the first experiment, daily supplements of 240 mg, 480 mg, and 960 mg of garlic were given for 12 weeks. At week 12, 480 mg of garlic caused the strongest antihypertensive effects. In a different study, 11 patients received daily supplements of 300, 600, 900, 1200, and 1500 mg of garlic for 24 weeks. Higher doses and longer durations led to more noticeable SBP reductions. However, the dose–response relationship and duration were only the subject of two articles, and the supplements utilized in the two experiments varied. Since it was improper to combine the data, only the dose and duration effects on the SBP from the two trials were taken into consideration [57]. As for the hypertensive effects, garlic supplementation was linked to a substantial drop in the DBP, but only a minor decline in the SBP in nine randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with 423 individuals [58]. For patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), taking supplements containing garlic may be a safe and effective adjunctive treatment to lower blood pressure and lower their risk of cardiovascular disease [59].

Ref

Nutrients. 2024 Aug 29;16(17):2895. doi: 10.3390/nu16172895

Garlic and Hypertension: Efficacy, Mechanism of Action, and Clinical Implications

Christopher Sleiman 1, Rose-Mary Daou 1, Antonio Al Hazzouri 1, Zahi Hamdan 1, Hilda E Ghadieh 1, Bernard Harbieh 1,*, Maya Romani 2,*

Editors: Kenneth Ka-Hei Lo, Aimin Yang