GarlicThe joint action of garlic and vitamin C may influence the blood pressure lowering.

Despite the studies, has never been able to observe the effect of antioxidant vitamin C on high blood pressure.

However, a pilot study at Cornell University (New York) has opened a new hypothesis that combines vitamin C with angioproliferativa action (formation of new capillaries) of garlic to lower blood pressure. This is a small study, but that opens up possibilities for new avenues of research.

This study is small, discreet, but their conclusions can not be more striking. Garlic and citrus kilo weight which is well below the cheapest of the antihypertensive exercise hypotension could safely and effectively. The study comes from Cornell University (New York) and appears in the journal Nutrition Research, researchers signed Adam Mousa and Shaker.

They recruited only six patients with moderately elevated blood pressure (140/90 mmHg) and assigned to receive placebo for 10 days. Then they gradually underwent 10 days with vitamin C, 10 days with garlic tablets and ten with the combination of those two options.

Vitamin C alone failed no hypotensive effect, garlic only improved systolic profile and only achieved a stable remission combined average values of 120/80 mmHg (normotension). Curiously, on discontinuation of garlic plus vitamin C, the pressure again rose to the baseline test. Mice are very cautious in the conclusions of this pilot study, but provide very specific clues about his reasoning. Garlic works by stimulating the endothelial relaxing function with a release of nitric oxide (NO) inside blood vessels, while vitamin C interfere eliminating oxygen free radicals.

First, prevent

If there is something better to reduce hypertension is to prevent it taking place. First, it is desirable to reduce salt intake in the diet. This is caustic, and water pools in the body to neutralize the acidic effects of salt. Water retention contributes to increased blood pressure.

Magnesium and potassium help the arteries to relax, while sodium acts in reverse and contracts. Increasing dietary magnesium and potassium ion balance is raised. Also, the lack of selenium have been linked to risk of hypertension.

A controversial benefit

The best remedy to lower high is to prevent it takes place by reducing, for example, consumption of dietary salt.

Since time immemorial, cardiovascular virtues of garlic have been taken into consideration, even without performing well-designed scientific studies to demonstrate such benefits. However, medical researchers put more expectations on vitamin C. In the nineties, American scientists postulated that regular consumption of vitamin C (500 mg / day) down the blood pressure of hypertensive individuals in at least 10%. While making it clear that vitamin C could never act as a substitute of antihypertensive treatment, it was considered that could act as a good adjuvant.

A group of researchers led by Kenny Jialal (University of Texas) came to recruit 40 patients with mild to moderate hypertension and divided them into two groups. Half ingested 500 mg / day of vitamin C, while the other half were treated with placebo. After a month, the average pressure of patients who took vitamin C had declined by 9.1%, whereas the placebo group had done at 2.7%. Both groups did not interrupt at any time prescribed antihypertensive medication prior to study.

Shortly after it was found the potential of vitamin C as antioxidant and anti-oxidant speculated that his was the cause of the observed benefit. Large studies began to include sub-studies with antioxidants to check its effect on hypertension, but the results were somewhat disappointing. Even vitamin E, also an antioxidant, was more effective than C without ever at any time justify the inclusion of these specific vitamins as an adjunct to antihypertensive therapy.

The pilot study of Mousa, however, opens a new hypothesis, the combination of an antioxidant like vitamin C can with a nitric oxide-releasing agent and protector of endothelial function such as garlic.

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