19 Aug Wed 2009
Fresh Crushed Garlic More Heart Healthy than Dried Garlic
For a healthy heart, make sure your garlic is fresh crushed and not dried.
That’s what we California garlic growers have been preaching for years, but new research published in the
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry shows the “first scientific evidence” that freshly crushed garlic is more beneficial for the heart than dried garlic.
The study also contradicts the perception that the majority of garlic’s “heart-healthy” attributes are linked to its high-antioxidant content. Rather, the study points to hydrogen sulfide – a chemical compound that forms once garlic is crushed or cut.
Apparently, hydrogen sulfide behaves like a “chemical messenger in the body, relaxing blood vessels and allowing more blood to pass through.” The more blood that flows to the heart, the happier the heart.
(Numerous studies also indicate that allicin – a sulfur compound that also is generated when garlic is chewed, crushed and cut – is largely responsible for garlic’s nutritional value).
Dried and cooked garlic, however, are not able to produce hydrogen sulfide.
Therefore, science has spoken: for a healthier heart, fresh garlic is the best. Ditch the dried.
We suggest California heirloom garlic.