Fact check: Can a clove of garlic a day cure high blood pressure?

Speaking to the Medical Dialogues team, Dr Manav Aggarwal, Consultant Cardiologist at Sanjeevan Hospital, explained, “Hypertension, or high blood pressure, can have various primary and secondary causes. It can be caused by factors such as genetics, unhealthy lifestyle habits like poor diet and lack of exercise, stress, smoking, alcohol consumption, certain medications, underlying health conditions (like kidney disease or sleep apnea), and age-related changes in blood vessels.”

Are there any benefits of garlic in High blood pressure?

Garlic has been used for centuries for its medicinal properties and health benefits. It contains allicin, a compound thought to have vasodilative properties—meaning it can help expand blood vessels, thereby reducing blood pressure. Garlic has been studied for its potential benefits in managing hypertension.

Medical evidence shows that garlic consumption might have some BP-lowering properties.

In 2020, Kerien Reid performed a systematic review of 12 trials and 553 hypertensive participants that showed that garlic supplements lower systolic blood pressure (SBP) by an average of 8.3±1.9 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure (DBP, n=8 trials, n=374 subjects) by 5.5±1.9 mmHg, similarly to standard anti-hypertensive medications(4)

Another study by Rohner et al., in the form of a systematic review and meta-analysis, suggested that garlic preparations may lower BP in hypertensive individuals. However, the study's authors noted that this evidence is not strong, and a well-conducted and powered trial of longer duration is needed to confirm these findings. (5)

It is important to note here that in many of the studies that show a positive effect of garlic on high BP, these effects are typically observed with garlic supplements, which contain concentrated doses of active ingredients, not necessarily with a single clove of garlic.

Can garlic cure high blood pressure?

No, hypertension or high blood pressure can't be cured. "Cure" means to completely resolve or eliminate a condition permanently, and hypertension as a disease cannot be cured, only managed.

Garlic can potentially help manage the condition as part of a broader health strategy, but it cannot cure it alone.

Speaking to the Medical Dialogues team, Dr Prem Aggarwal, Cardiologist and Chairman of Sanjeevan Hospitals, said, “The term "cure" implies that the condition can be completely and permanently eradicated. Hypertension is a chronic condition that typically requires ongoing management, including lifestyle changes, medication, and monitoring. There are many medical studies that show the benefits of garlic on hypertension. But Garlic alone, especially just one clove per day, does not meet the medical definition of a cure for high blood pressure. This claim is false and misleading.”

Medical Dialogues final take:

Garlic is not a cure for hypertension or high blood pressure as it cannot be cured and can be only managed. Further, while there are studies that show the impact of garlic supplements on reducing blood pressure, there is no study or consensus from the medical field that states that a clove of garlic a day can cure high blood pressure. Hence, this claim is FALSE.

References:

1. https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/high-blood-pressure.

2. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/hypertension/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwrIixBhBbEiwACEqDJYTwOdhJ1EnRvqBRa6nJ2NOZCsumk71QauqmSLroD2owlT4ojM06ABoCdoYQAvD_BwE.

3.https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2810984#:~:text=In%20India%2C%20nationally%2C%20more%20than,treated%20but%20with%20uncontrolled%20hypertension.

4. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6966103/)

5. Andres Rohner, Karin Ried, Igor A. Sobenin, Heiner C. Bucher, Alain J. Nordmann, A Systematic Review and Metaanalysis on the Effects of Garlic Preparations on Blood Pressure in Individuals With Hypertension, American Journal of Hypertension, Volume 28, Issue 3, March 2015, Pages 414–423, https://doi.org/10.1093/ajh/hpu165.