Nutr Res Pract.  2012 Jun;6(3):226-231.

Independent beneficial effects of aged garlic extract intake with regular exercise on cardiovascular risk in postmenopausal women

• Seo DY
• Lee SR
• Kim HK
• Baek YH
• Kwak YS
• Ko TH
• Kim N
• Rhee BD
• Ko KS
• Park BJ
• Han J

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to assess the effects of a 12 weeks aged garlic extract (AGE) regimen with regular exercise on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in postmenopausal women. A total of 30 postmenopausal women (54.4 +/- 5.4 years) were randomly divided into the following four groups: Placebo (Placebo; n = 6), AGE intake (AGEI; n = 8), exercise and placebo (Ex + Placebo; n = 8), exercise and AGE (Ex + AGE; n = 8) groups. The AGE group consume 80 mg per day, and exercise groups performed moderate exercise (aerobic and resistance) three times per week. After 12 weeks of treatment, body composition, lipid profile, and CVD risk factors were analyzed. Body weight was significantly decreased in AGEI, Ex + Placebo, and Ex + AGE groups compared to baseline. Body fat % was significantly decreased in the AGEI and Ex + Placebo groups. Body mass index (BMI) was significantly decreased in the AGEI, Ex + Placebo, and Ex + AGE groups. Fat-free mass was significantly decreased in the AGEI group. Total cholesterol (TC) was significantly lower in the Ex + Placebo compared to the Placebo group. AGE supplementation or exercise effectively reduced low-density lipoprotein (LDL-C). Triglyceride (TG) was significantly increased in the AGEI group. Malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were significantly decreased in the AGEI, Ex + Placebo, and Ex + AGE compared to the placebo group. AGE supplementation reduced homocysteine levels regardless of whether the women also exercised. The present results suggest that AGE supplementation reduces cardiovascular risk factors independently of exercise in postmenopausal women.

Keyword

Aged garlic extract; exercise; postmenopausal women; cardiovascular risk factor; homocysteine

MeSH Terms

Adipose Tissue
Aged
Body Composition
Body Mass Index
Body Weight
Cardiovascular Diseases
Cholesterol
Female
Garlic
Homocysteine
Humans
Lipoproteins
Malondialdehyde
Risk Factors
Cholesterol
Homocysteine
Lipoproteins
Malondialdehyde

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 Effect of exercise and AGE intervention on blood markers in postmenopausal women. TC, total cholesterol; LDL-C, low density lipoprotein cholesterol; MDA, malondialdehyde. #P < 0.05 vs placebo. ##P < 0.01 vs placebo. *P < 0.05 vs before intervention. **P < 0.01 vs before intervention.

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