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Garlic Consumption Appears to Reduce Blood Pressure: Presented at AAFP

By Ed Susman

ORLANDO, FL -- October 18, 2004 -- People who eat garlic appear to have lower blood pressures, Pakistani researchers reported Sunday here at the 17th World Conference of Family Doctors, held in conjunction with the American Academy of Family Physicians Scientific Assembly.

The epidemiological study needs backing from a well-designed clinical trial, however, before recommendations can be promulgated on how much garlic one should eat.

In his study of 101 subjects, Waris Qidwai, MBBS, MCPS, FCPS, associate professor of family medicine, Family Practice Center at Aga Khan University, Karachi, found that those patients with the highest consumption of garlic were more likely to have systolic blood pressures under 100 mm Hg than individuals with lower garlic consumption. While the group that had eaten more garlic also had lower diastolic blood-pressure readings, the difference were not as robust, he said.

Dietary intake of garlic was determined through a self-reported questionnaire. Three blood-pressure readings were recorded to determine average readings. Dr. Qidrai determined the amount of garlic consumed, and then compared that to the average blood pressure of the subjects.

About 58% of the subjects said they believed garlic had health benefits; about 40% had no opinion about its ability to combat disease. Only 2 people thought garlic was unhealthy.

Nineteen percent of the subjects were over age 50; 6% were under age 20. The subjects were evenly divided by gender; about 75% were married. Twenty percent had no schooling; 17% were college graduates. Patients who were overweight, known to have high blood pressure, had diabetes, coronary artery disease or who smoked were excluded from the study.

"The literature is full of studies on the role of garlic in control of blood pressure, but nothing stands proven despite the widespread use," Dr. Qidrai noted. "This was a pilot study. We have found that individuals whose systolic blood pressures are on the lower end are more likely to consume more garlic in their diets."

He added, however, that "even though the biochemical basis for [the] lowering of blood pressure by garlic is known, its therapeutic role in the treatment of hypertension is still not clear. More elaborate trials are required before a recommendation can be made to increase use of garlic in the diet in order to have lower blood pressure."


[Presentation title: "Impact of Dietary Garlic on Blood Pressure." Abstract 2234]

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