Garlic may prevent cardiomyopathy, i.e. damage to the heart muscle in people with diabetes, according to a study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
Cardiovascular disease is one of the major complications of diabetes and accounts for 80 percent of diabetes. deaths of people suffering from it. It is estimated that cardiovascular mortality is 2-4 times higher in diabetics than in the general population.
Several processes may be responsible for severe impairment of myocardial function in diabetics. Too high blood glucose leads to an overproduction of free radicals, highly reactive molecules that damage the cells of the heart muscle. On the other hand, the levels of enzymes that neutralize these compounds decline in the heart of diabetics. As a result, many muscle cells die in the process of suicide, and the functioning of the heart systematically deteriorates.
Previous research has suggested that dietary antioxidants, or compounds that neutralize free radicals, could help protect heart muscle cells.
Scientists from the Chinese Medical University in Taiwan have tested whether the antioxidants in garlic oil may have this protective effect. It has already been observed that garlic (Allium sativum) has a beneficial effect on the circulatory system – incl. inhibits enzymes involved in the synthesis of fats, can counteract the formation of blood clots, lower blood pressure, and neutralize free radicals that can damage blood vessels. There have also been reports that the compounds it contains may help regulate blood glucose levels, which would be particularly beneficial in diabetics.
The latest experiments were carried out on rats in which diabetes was experimentally induced. They were divided into four groups, three of which were fed with garlic oil in various doses every other day – 10, 50 and 100 milligrams per kg of body weight. The fourth group was given corn oil as a control. The test lasted 16 days.
It turned out that garlic oil alleviated, depending on the dose, the adverse changes in heart muscle cells associated with diabetes, while protecting them from damage.
In an echocardiogram, scientists observed improvements in cardiac contraction in rodents receiving garlic oil. The production of an enzyme that neutralizes free radicals (superoxide dismutase 1) also increased in myocardial cells, which further helped to fight excess of these molecules. As a result, fewer heart cells have died from suicide (apoptosis).
According to the authors of the study, the beneficial effect of garlic oil on the heart is related to the organic sulfur compounds contained in it, which have antioxidant properties. Scientists have found that there are more than 20 of them, the most important of which are diallyl disulfide and trisulfide.
The researchers conclude that these results prove that garlic may play a role in protecting diabetic hearts from damage. Therefore, it is worth carrying out further work on this issue. (PAP)