Diabetes, cardiovascular disease and obesity are a group of closely related disease that likely share a common aetiology. Improving glycaemic control is paramount in treating or preventing these diseases, as it is the aberrations to the blood sugar regulatory mechanisms, caused through the development of insulin resistance, that characterise their development. Insulin resistance causes metabolic changes that results in the varying pathologies of Western disease, depending on the individual’s genetic predisposition. The cause of insulin resistance is a consumption of a low quality diet containing refined carbohydrates, refined crystalline fructose and oxidised fats. Garlic may be beneficial at protecting from cardiovascular disease, obesity and diabetes because it is an effective antidiabetic drug, and can improve insulin sensitivity. A number of well designed studies have been performed on humans and these attest to the beneficial effects of garlic in correct blood sugar regulation.
The antidiabetic effects of modest intakes of garlic have been reported. For example, in one study1, researchers administered a range of doses of garlic (300, 600, 900, 1200 and 1500 mg per day) to subjects with diabetes mellitus. A control group received no medication, and another control group received the approved diabetes drug metformin. The researchers then assessed the fasting blood sugar and the glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) in the subjects. Following 24 weeks of treatment the fasting blood sugar of both the metformin and the garlic groups had improved. The highest concentration of garlic was as effective as metformin at reducing blood sugar levels. However the higher doses of garlic were more effective than metformin at preventing the glycation of haemoglobin in the subjects. Garlic therefore performs better than leading pharmaceuticals as an antidiabetic drug, with the benefit of producing no serious side effects. Whole garlic may perform better than capsules due to a higher retention of active metabolites.
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