High blood pressure rarely has obvious symptoms but affects almost 8 million people in the UK. Known as the silent killer, high blood pressure is medically known as hypertension and it is not always noticed until a medical professional performs a routine blood pressure measurement. High blood pressure puts strain on the heart and arteries which can increase the risk of a heart attack, stroke, and kidney dysfunction, so controlling blood pressure is greatly beneficial to our health.

Many factors can increase the risk of high blood pressure including:

• Being overweight
• Having an unhealthy diet
• Previous family history
• Being inactive
• Smoking
• Age (over 65)

There are a wide range of methods used to help prevent or control high blood pressure. Medication is commonly prescribed to many people to help control hypertension, including ACE inhibitors, diuretics, calcium channel blockers and beta-blockers. However, lifestyle changes such as losing weight, exercising, and eating a healthy diet could be just as effective.

Recently, complementary medicines have gained popularity and research seems convincing that garlic could help to control blood pressure, as it acts as a blood thinner and relaxes the blood vessels. Garlic supplements have been associated with lowering blood pressure in those with hypertension, where two capsules daily of aged garlic extract over 12 weeks have been shown to be effective. A recent study also investigated the effects of garlic tablets on individuals with high blood pressure, finding that garlic tablets significantly reduced blood pressure when compared to a placebo. Similar findings have also been reported for the consumption of other garlic supplements as well, including garlic oil, garlic pearls and aged garlic extract. However, cooked or raw garlic may be less effective as the active compounds can be destroyed when cooked or chewed.

To summarise, it seems as though garlic may be an effective and tolerable treatment to help lower blood pressure in those with hypertension. Not only could garlic have beneficial effects, but it also provides a safe and cost effective method. Adding a garlic supplement as part of a healthy diet may be worthwhile to control blood pressure if you suffer you from hypertension yourself. However, anyone looking to prevent rather than control hypertension should focus on living a healthy lifestyle, including keeping active, eating a healthy diet and maintaining a healthy weight.

Adie Blanchard – Researcher

References

Ashraf, R., Khan, R. A., Ashraf, I., & Qureshi, A. A. (2013). Effects of Allium sativum (Garlic) on systolic and diastolic blood pressure in patients with essential hypertension. Pakistan journal of pharmaceutical sciences, 26(5).

Qidwai, W., & Ashfaq, T. (2013). Role of Garlic Usage in Cardiovascular Disease Prevention: An Evidence-Based Approach. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2013.

Ried, K., Frank, O. R., & Stocks, N. P. (2012). Aged garlic extract reduces blood pressure in hypertensives: a dose–response trial. European journal of clinical nutrition.

Garlic. (2014). [image online] Available at: http://carolcassara.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Garlic-1-Ale-Paiva-sxc-1024×768.jpg [Accessed: 10 Feb 2014].