Garlic oils hearts

Garlic is an essential component of any decently equipped kitchen these days. Not only is it a snappy little addition to any pasta dish or stir fry, it is an invaluable aid should any of those “Twilight”-types with elongated incisors come knocking after midnight. On top of its culinary and supernatural powers, garlic also packs a medicinal punch and a new study has added a new element to its health pugilism.

Hydrogen sulphide gas has been tried as a way to reduce damage to the heart after a heart attack, during heart surgery, and even as a treatment for heart failure. The problem with hydrogen sulphide is that it is very unstable and difficult to deliver. For that reason, researchers tried using diallyl trisulphide from garlic oil as a way to deliver the benefits of hydrogen sulphide to the heart.

The researchers found that mice given diallyl sulphide after a heart attack had 61 per cent less damage to heart tissue than mice not given diallyl sulphide.

When a heart attack, or heart surgery, happens there is an interruption in blood flow and oxygen supply. This leads to damage to the mitochondria within cells. Mitochondria are the energy producing parts of cells and loss of mitochondrial function can lead to cell death. What the diallyl sulphide is able to do is turn down mitochondrial function for a while, allowing the mitochondria to survive the oxygen starvation until the blood flow is restored.

Does this mean your first recourse after a heart attack should be to quaff a bit of olive oil? Probably not. However, the researchers say that they are looking at developing oral drugs using diallyl sulphide that could avoid the need to inject sulphide delivery drugs outside of an emergency situation. They also believe that diallyl sulphide twice daily could be useful in cases of heart enlargement due to heart failure.

All of this of course, is great news, unless you are a vampire with a failing heart, in which case it is cold comfort. For those who do not count themselves amongst the un-dead however, it is just another reason to have a bottle of garlic oil in the pantry.