Right bulbs: shedding light on garlic's power. (wellness).(how garlic works to promote health)(Brief Article)

At age 56, immediately after undergoing double bypass surgery, George Weber of Portland, Oregon started taking aged garlic extract. Two-and-a half years later, his cholesterol has dropped from a high of 300 to 140, his trigylcerides from 250 to 100, his low density lipoprotein (LDL) from 200 to 76.

Garlic. It's not just for repelling unwanted suitors anymore.

Though garlic's health-promoting benefits have long been known, an understanding of how and why it's good for you is an area currently undergoing extensive research. And the news is promising: Garlic is a powerful antioxidant that can help prevent both cancer and heart disease.

Despite its health benefits, raw garlic has its downside. It can be irritating to the digestive tract and, after ingestion, leave in its wake an odor to breath and perspiration that not even a mother can love.

For the benefit without the bite, many consumers, like Weber, are `opting for garlic supplements. Aged garlic extract (AGE) is fresh garlic transformed by an aging process into a stable, bioavailable supplement that's palatable and odorless.

Research indicates that AGE can lower cholesterol and blood pressure. A study at Loma Linda University in California found that S-allyl cysteine (SAC)--a water-soluble compound found in garlic--prevented the oxidation of LDL, or "bad," cholesterol, which, unchecked, can lead to atherosclerosis. Other research, conducted at the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy in Lexington, found that AGE inhibits the synthesis of cholesterol in the liver. At Pennsylvania State University in University Park, researchers found that that SAC and S-propyl cysteine ...