Combining Garlic with Vitamin C distinctly drops blood pressure in patients with marginally high blood pressure; there pressure dropped from 140/90 to normal

In this pilot study people with marginally high blood pressure (140/90) were given 2,000mg of Vitamin C a day, or 2,500mg of Garlic a day, or both Vitamin C and Garlic for 10 days. The scientists from Albany College of Pharmacy found that Garlic at this potency significantly lowered the systolic blood pressure (the top reading of your blood pressure) but had no effect on diastolic blood pressure. Vitamin C alone affected neither value. However, when the patients were given the Garlic along with Vitamin C both the systolic and diastolic blood pressure improved significantly with a distinct drop to within normal range (110-120/75-80). When the combination was stopped blood pressure increased again. At the cellular level, combining Garlic, Vitamin C, and Vitamin E improved the level of nitric oxide in the cells lining blood vessel walls 300%. Nitric oxide relaxes the blood vessel walls decreasing the resistance to blood flow and reducing blood pressure. The study is published in the February 2007 issue of the journal Nutrition Research.

Flavonoids reduce the risk of dying from stroke and heart attack

In this prospective study of 34,489 postmenopausal women, researchers from the School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, and the University of Oslo in Norway, compared flavonoid intake and the risk of dying from all causes, from stroke, from coronary heart disease (CHD) and from cardiovascular disease (CVD), and from all cause mortality (infections, cancer, etc); the flavonoids were broken down into subclasses.
> Anthocyanidins decreased the risk of dying from CHD, CVD, and all causes significantly for the highest vs. no intake.
> Flavanones were even stronger for decreasing the risk of dying from CHD and all cause mortality.
> Flavones decreased the risk of dying significantly from all cause mortality.
Some of the protective foods included red wine, apples and pears, bran, grapefruit, strawberries, and chocolate. The study is published in the March 2007 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.