Aged Garlic Extract

Garlic has been recognized for centuries as one of the most powerful foods for protecting the health of the body. Garlic has a history of defending against cardiovascular disease, toxicity, cancer, and aging. For a long time, it was thought that all the properties of garlic were fully understood, but then Aged Garlic Extract, or AGE, was discovered.

What is Aged Garlic Extract?

Aged Garlic Extract is created by extracting the essence from garlic and then aging it for about 20 months. This process helps increase the potency of garlic, raising its antioxidant levels. The process to make AGE also changes the compounds in garlic, specifically oxidant alilcin, which is what gives garlic its strong smell and taste. Stabilizing the oxidant alicin makes AGE a perfect alternative for people who want the health benefits of garlic, but can’t stand the taste or odor.

One of the reasons health professionals prefer AGE over regular garlic is because when garlic is aged it contains water soluble substances, which make it more absorbent. This means that the antioxidants within the AGE get into the bloodstream faster. These water-soluble compounds, sulfuric in nature, are considered the reason behind all of AGE’s health benefits.

Benefits of AGE

As mentioned above, garlic has been used for centuries to treat a variety of conditions. However, AGE has been shown to be even more effective in these treatments. Below is a list of its many uses and capabilities.

AGE as an Antioxidant

From blueberries to seaweed, it seems everyone these days is trying to find a good source of antioxidants. And with good reason. Antioxidants clear the body of toxins and pollutants. Since the body is constantly producing more toxins, it needs a consistent source of antioxidants.

Aged garlic extract is a powerful protector against very specific toxins in the body, specifically reactive oxygen species, or ROS. These toxins happen naturally in the body as a result of exercise and being in the sun. Because AGE boosts the body’s ability to create glutathione, which fights ROS, it’s considered one of the strongest all-natural antioxidant available.

Aged Garlic Extract as Cardiovascular Defense

Heart disease is on the rise in the Western world, with over 26.6 million adults in the United States diagnosed with some form of cardiovascular disease.

High cholesterol and triglyceride levels, as well as high blood pressure, are a few of the leading causes of heart disease in adults, making it a priority for medical professionals to find alternatives to treating this epidemic.

Recent studies have found that taking AGE can lower cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood pressure. The University of California, LA, recently did a study that found AGE supplements are even more potent than previously believed.

In the study, which was published in the Journal of Nutrition, researchers at LA BioMed brought in 55 patients, middle aged and older, who had all been diagnosed with some form of metabolic syndrome. Screening was done before the study began to determine how much plaque each participant had.

After this initial screening, participants were given 2,400 milligrams of AGE or a placebo and were instructed to take it every day for a year. After the year had passed, the researchers found that those who had taken AGE had decreased the amount of soft plaque in their arteries and had also slowed their plaque build-up by about 80%.

This was just one of four studies that LA BioMed has led investigating the affects AGE has on plaque and the potential the supplement holds for being an answer to reversing and preventing cardiovascular disease.

AGE as an Immune Booster

For centuries, garlic has been used as an immune booster, being added to drinks and teas to help combat influenza and sinus infections. Research has found, however, that AGE works better than fresh garlic in these circumstances

The effects that AGE has on the immune system was observed in a 3 week clinical study that found taking 1800 milligrams of AGE boosted natural killer (NK) cell action by 155.5%.

Another study was done on AIDS patients, whose immune systems are often compromised by the virus, and it was found that being on an AGE supplement for 6 weeks raised patients NK levels back up to normal.

AGE has also been found to work as a strong anti-fungal, another benefit that is being applied to help HIV patients and others with STDs.

AGE and Cancer Prevention

Studies have now begun looking at how AGE might help in the battle against the growing risks of cancer. In most cases, cancer is the result of damaged DNA, which increases over time. A study has found that AGE prevents the decrease of NK cells in the body, which in turn minimizes the risk of cancer.

So far, AGE has been associated with reducing the risk of colon, prostate, stomach, liver, lung, esophagus, bladder, and colon cancers. It has also been shown to prevent cancer cells from forming in the mammary glands.

Research suggests that the reason AGE is so effective against cancer is because it flushes toxins from the body, including carcinogens, and keeps carcinogens from binding to DNA.

Aged Garlic Extract and Toxicity Prevention

Hand in hand with preventing the build-up of toxins in the body to prevent carcinogens from forming, AGE also prevents other toxins from taking over the body. Recent studies have found that the pain killer acetaminophen, found in most common headache medications, causes reactive oxygen species, or ROS.

Reactive oxygen species have been tied to lower glutathione levels in the liver, which lowers the effectiveness of the organs detoxifying abilities. Because ROS has been associated with so many health conditions, including cancer, researchers were desperate to find a way to control and prevent this toxin.

A clinical trial gave a group of participants 10 milligrams of AGE every day for three months. After this time, the participants were given a dose of acetaminophen, to see if their ROS levels would rise. Where before the trial began, the levels increased, after the three months of taking AGE, participants didn’t have traces of the toxicity.

Further Research on Aged Garlic Extract

Compared to several other antioxidant supplements on the market, AGE has a vast amount of research that promotes its health benefits. In fact, there are over 250 peer-reviewed journal articles published on the benefits of AGE.

As the need for AGE and its benefits continues to grow, the amount of information available on the supplement will continue to increase.