Garlic has higher levels of allicin

This post was originally published as Fresh Garlic is Where it’s at by Laurel on Health Food blog. 

Recent research published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry found that freshly chopped garlic has higher levels of allicin than preserved, chopped garlic that comes in a bottle. Allicin is a key compound in garlic that’s responsible for most of the anti-bacterial benefits. Some other studies have found that allicin in garlic can prevent bacterial infections and food poisoning, blood clots, and cancer.

In this recent study, researchers compared the amount of allicin in fresh garlic with the amounts after storing it for one or two weeks in water, vegetable oil, or alcohol. The garlic stored in water lost about 50% of its allicin content in six days. The garlic in vegetable oil lost 50% of its allicin content in under an hour.

Bottled garlic still has some healthy benefits, but not as much as the fresh kind. If you’re someone who doesn’t like to chop up garlic or has a hard time doing it, try getting a hand-held garlic press or using a food processor. You’ll have fresh garlic in a matter of seconds!

Benefits of Drinking Cocoa

Natural News reports that diabetics who get a regular dose of cocoa have improved blood vessel function and are less likely to get cardiovascular disease. Research published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that the flavanol compounds in cocoa are responsible for these cardiovascular benefits.

In this study from the Australian International Diabetes Institute, researchers conducted two experiments on volunteers with Type II diabetes. The first experiment measured improvements in blood vessel dilation. Ten volunteers drank a cocoa beverage with either 75, 371, or 963 milligrams (mg) of flavanols. Hours after drinking the cocoa, the volunteers had improved flow-mediated dilation (FMD) (the measure of how well your brachial arteries can relax and dilate). The more flavanols in the cocoa, the better the blood vessel dilation.

In the second experiment, 41 volunteers drank a cocoa beverage three times a day for a month. The cocoa had either 25 or 321 mg of flavanols. The drinks were otherwise very similar in calorie content, nutrient density, and caffeine content. Volunteers who drank the high-flavanol cocoa had 30% better FMD than those who drank the low-flavanol cocoa.

One of the researchers Paul Zimmet said, “While more research is needed, this study shows tremendous potential for future flavanol-based applications.”

This post was originally published as Have Diabetes? Drink Cocoa! by Laurel on Health Food blog.