Garlic Oil Good for the Diabetic Heart

TAICHUNG, TaiwanGarlic and garlic oil have significant potential to prevent cardiomyopathy, a form of heart disease that is a leading cause of death in people with diabetes, according to a new study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

Building on past studies supporting the theory that garlic may protect against heart disease and help control abnormally high blood sugar levels that occur in diabetes, the researchers sought to identify garlic's effects on diabetic cardiomyopathy.

Researchers fed either garlic oil or corn oil to laboratory rats with diabetes. Animals given garlic oil experienced beneficial changes associated with protection against heart damage. The changes appeared to be associated with the potent antioxidant properties of garlic oil, the researchers wrote, adding that they identified more than 20 substances in garlic oil that may contribute to the effect.