Garlic blood pressure effects

Silagy CA, Neil HAW. A meta-analysis of the effect of garlic on blood pressure. J Hypertension 12 463 468, 1994. 

Fresh garlic may have some cardiovascular benefits, but it is unclear whether it lowers blood lipids or blood pressure as much as originally thought. Aged preparations and cooked garlic are likely to be less effective despite being better tolerated. 

Because of reported antiplatelet effects, patients using anticlotting medications (eg, warfarin, aspirin, ibuprofen) should use garlic cautiously. Additional monitoring of blood pressure and signs and symptoms of bleeding is warranted. Garlic may reduce the bioavailability of saquinavir, an antiviral protease inhibitor, but it does not appear to affect the bioavailability of ritonavir. 

Garlic (Allium sativum) is thought to have several beneficial cardiovascular effects, such as lowering blood pressure and serum lipid, and antithrombotic activity. Garlic oil has been reported to interrupt thromboxane synthesis, thereby inhibiting platelet function. 

Garlic has been reported to have lipid- and blood-pressure-lowering properties, as well as antiplatelet, antioxidant, and fibrinolytic effects. In animal models and human cell cultures, it has been shown to have antiatherosclerotic activity (see Chapter 50). The sulfur-containing component, allicin, is considered to be the principal active ingredient of garlic, but several other bioactive ingredients have also been isolated. 

Garlic has been shown to have significant effects on the cardiovascular system. Such areas include improvement in lipids, modest effects on blood pressure, platelet inhibition, antioxidant effects, and a decrease in fibrinolytic activity. In vitro studies have shown garlic possesses specific antiatherosclerotic effects such as reducing inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) mRNA expression (10), inhibition of oxidized low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-induced lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release and inhibition of oxidized LDL-induced depletion of glutathione (11). 

Ali M, Al-Qattan KK, Al-Enezi F, Khanafer RMA, Mustafa T (2000) Effect of allicin from garlic powder on serum lipids and blood pressure in rats fed with a high cholesterol diet. Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids 62(4) 253-259. doi 10.1054/ plef.2000.0152... 

Ried K, Frank OR, Stocks NP, Fakler P, Sullivan T (2008) Effect of garlic on blood pressure a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Cardiovasc Disord 8 13. doi 10.1186/1471-2261-8-13... 

Reinhart KM, Coleman Cl, Teevan C, Vachhani P, White CM (2008) Effects of garlic on blood pressure in patients with and without systolic hypertension a meta-analysis. Ann Pharmacother 42(12) 1766-1771. doi 10.1345/aph.lL319... 

---