Thanks C'da for forwarding that...its pretty good. Its interesting to note that garlic pills may not be the answer.
Now, how do we spell Garlique ? :) --Ram On 11/27/07, Chan Mahanta <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/10/15/unlocking-the-benefits-of-garlic/?em&ex=1196312400&en=05c5dba4085c5f5d&ei=5087%0A > > > > October 15, 2007, 5:03 pm > Unlocking the Benefits of Garlic > cloves of garlicWhat makes garlic good for you? > (Chris Ramirez for The New York Times) > > Garlic has long been touted as a health booster, > but it's never been clear why the herb might be > good for you. Now new research is beginning to > unlock the secrets of the odoriferous bulb. > > In a study published today in the Proceedings of > the National Academy of Sciences, researchers > show that eating garlic appears to boost our > natural supply of hydrogen sulfide. Hydrogen > sulfide is actually poisonous at high > concentrations - it's the same noxious byproduct > of oil refining that smells like rotten eggs. But > the body makes its own supply of the stuff, which > acts as an antioxidant and transmits cellular > signals that relax blood vessels and increase > blood flow. > > In the latest study, performed at the University > of Alabama at Birmingham, researchers extracted > juice from supermarket garlic and added small > amounts to human red blood cells. The cells > immediately began emitting hydrogen sulfide, the > scientists found. > > The power to boost hydrogen sulfide production > may help explain why a garlic-rich diet appears > to protect against various cancers, including > breast, prostate and colon cancer, say the study > authors. Higher hydrogen sulfide might also > protect the heart, according to other experts. > Although garlic has not consistently been shown > to lower cholesterol levels, researchers at > Albert Einstein College of Medicine earlier this > year found that injecting hydrogen sulfide into > mice almost completely prevented the damage to > heart muscle caused by a heart attack. > > "People have known garlic was important and has > health benefits for centuries,'' said Dr. David > W. Kraus, associate professor of environmental > science and biology at the University of Alabama. > "Even the Greeks would feed garlic to their > athletes before they competed in the Olympic > games.'' > > Now, the downside. The concentration of garlic > extract used in the latest study was equivalent > to an adult eating about two medium-sized cloves > per day. In such countries as Italy, Korea and > China, where a garlic-rich diet seems to be > protective against disease, per capita > consumption is as high as eight to 12 cloves per > day. > > While that may sound like a lot of garlic, Dr. > Kraus noted that increasing your consumption to > five or more cloves a day isn't hard if you use > it every time you cook. Dr. Kraus also makes a > habit of snacking on garlicky dishes like hummus > with vegetables. > > Many home chefs mistakenly cook garlic > immediately after crushing or chopping it, added > Dr. Kraus. To maximize the health benefits, you > should crush the garlic at room temperature and > allow it to sit for about 15 minutes. That > triggers an enzyme reaction that boosts the > healthy compounds in garlic. > > Garlic can cause indigestion, but for many, the > bigger concern is that it can make your breath > and sweat smell likeĊ garlic. While individual > reactions to garlic vary, eating fennel seeds > like those served at Indian restaurants helps to > neutralize the smell. Garlic-powder pills claim > to solve the problem, but the data on these > supplements has been mixed. It's still not clear > if the beneficial compounds found in garlic > remain potent once it's been processed into a > pill. > > * Link > * > E-mail This > _______________________________________________ > assam mailing list > [email protected] > http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org > _______________________________________________ assam mailing list [email protected] http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
