Effect of dietary garlic (Allium Sativum) on the blood pressure in humans--a pilot study.

OBJECTIVE To find out whether individuals with blood pressures on the lower side consume more garlic in their diets. A pilot study to make grounds for more elaborate future trials. METHOD A questionnaire was developed in order to estimate the dietary intake of garlic per person per month and to record three blood pressure readings on each individual. It was administered to 101 adult subjects, presenting to the Family Practice Centre of a hospital in the city of Karachi, Pakistan. The various demographic parameters including age, sex, marital status and education were recorded. Those subjects found to be overweight, with known history of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, ischaemic heart disease, and smoking and on medications, which effect blood pressure, were excluded from the study. This was done to remove the effect of confounding variables on Blood Pressure. The data was entered into the epi-info program and the analysis was done using the SPSS software. RESULTS An average garlic use of 134 grams per case per month was found. 67% of the subjects used garlic in cooked food while the rest used either in the raw form or in pickles. 59% thought that dietary use of garlic is healthy. Subjects with blood pressure on the lower side are found to consume more garlic in their diets. (The mean difference is significant for systolic with p value of 0.05). CONCLUSION This study shows that individuals whose blood pressures are on the lower side are more likely to consume more garlic in their diets. (Statistically significant for systolic blood pressure only). This was a pilot study and more elaborate trials are recommended to prove this association.