Garlic has been used for centuries as a medicinal herb, but it is only relatively recently that scientists have cracked the mystery of why garlic can help keep your heart healthy.
It’s all down to the allicin content!
It’s the allicin that’s broken down into the slightly sulphur smelling compounds. These compounds react with red blood cells and produce hydrogen sulphide which relaxes the blood vessels, and keeps blood flowing easily. Hydrogen sulphide also plays a vital role in helping cells communicate with each other, and within the blood vessels it stimulates the cells that form the lining to relax. This has the effect of allowing the vessels to dilate, which in turn reduces blood pressure, therefore allowing the blood to carry more oxygen to vital organs and so reducing pressure on the heart.
In a variety of studies this tension in the vessels reduced by as much as 72%.
Lead researcher Dr David Kraus said ‘Our results suggest that garlic is a very good thing’, and ‘certainly in areas where consumption is high, such as the Mediterranean and the Far East, there is a significantly lower incidence of cardiovascular disease’.
So, this is all good news for those of us wishing to keep our hearts in tip-top condition, add to this the amazing benefits of taking garlic at this time of year to help fight off colds and you got one great product. So why not take a look at our excellent value Odourless Garlic products.
Please do bear in mind that garlic is powerful and may interact with blood thinning drugs, so if you are on these always consult your doctor.
For about the last year, Probiotics, or so called ‘Friendly Bacteria’ have been the subject of many discussions. How do the yoghurt type drinks work with so much sugar in them? How can the even billions of bacteria products, have any effect on the already trillions of bacteria present in the guts? and so on!
They Really Do Work!
Well, dieticians at Imperial College London, have shown that they do work (still not sure about the amount of sugar in some of the drinks!). Dr Jeremy Nicholson says “We have established that introducing ‘friendly’ bacteria can change the dynamics of the whole population of microbes in the gut”. The screening of blood, urine, faeces and livers, revealed that levels of several key chemicals related to important processes in the body were altered in those who were probiotic-treated. One of the ways the probiotics helped was in the breakdown of bile acids in the gut, therefore allowing more fat to pass undigested through the body, rather than being absorbed. This may well have a significant effect on cholesterol and body weight.
A spokeswomen for the British Dietetic Association said that there were too few studies of probiotics to actually show real benefits, but our understanding of how they work is changing and this should benefit everyone.
Probiotic Performance!
Australian research has found that Probiotic supplements can reduce the number and length of infections suffered by athletes. Strenuous training can affect the immune system and make athletes both amateur and professional vulnerable to coughs and colds.
The British Journal of Sports Medicine study found that taking probiotics more than halved the number of days the athletes had symptoms. Although it is not entirely known why, it is becoming increasingly evident that the ‘friendly bacteria’ have an effect on the immune system.
A small study conducted at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra, focused on 20 top-level endurance runners during their intensive winter training programme. Over the four months, all 20 received 2 two month long course of pills – the first containing Lactobacillus, and the second containing no active ingredients. All the athletes then recorded any days they were suffering from symptoms such as coughs and runny noses. The total toll of illness across the group was then recorded, finding a total of 72 days of illness when the dummy pills were taken, as opposed to 30 days when the probiotics were being taken. Suggesting that the probiotics might somehow help the body protect itself.
Critical Protection!
A recent Swedish study concluded that probiotics may inhibit the colonisation of airways by dangerous bugs, performing just as well as normal antiseptics, in the prevention of pneumonia, and being more natural could also pose fewer side-effects. Although they did admit that much larger studies are required.
So there we are, three very good reasons to consider the use of probiotic products like Lactobacillus Acidophilus and Acidophilus with Oatbran.
Source: Various articles BBC News
