Garlic, the pungent bulb used for centuries in cooking and healing, may help relax arteries and increase blood flow, scientists said Monday.
Red blood cells make components of garlic into hydrogen sulfide, which stimulates vessels to open, according to a study to be published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Research published earlier this year showed that eating garlic daily didn't lower harmful cholesterol in people with moderately high levels of the fatty blood protein. By boosting hydrogen-sulfide levels, garlic may promote heart health in other ways, said David Kraus, a University of Alabama at Birmingham biologist who led the study.
"Hydrogen sulfide opens blood vessels and is an anti-oxidant, which reduces damage to cells," he said.
More studies are needed to confirm that the observations translate to better health, said Eric Block, a State University of New York at Albany biochemist who helped write the study of garlic and cholesterol.