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Garlic can't compete with Aspirin
October 29, 2009
The You Docs
Q I take a garlic supplement and two baby Aspirin every day. Are they doing the same thing – thinning my blood?
A Yes and no. Both garlic and Aspirin have anti-platelet activity – they prevent your blood from forming clots that can clog your arteries and cause a heart attack, or travel to your brain and trigger a stroke.
So if you're taking both garlic and Aspirin for their blood-thinning abilities, you could safely skip the stinking rose supplement. Drying garlic to squeeze it into a capsule can process the health benefits right out of it. One study found that even cooked garlic lost its anti-platelet activity.
Do, however, stick with Aspirin (if your doc agrees it's right for you). The research is clear: Not only can daily Aspirin therapy help reduce your risk of heart attack and stroke, it will significantly increase your survival odds if you do have a heart attack.
And Aspirin does have great additional anti-cancer benefits: It can decrease – by about 40 per cent – your risk of cancer of the colon, rectum, bladder, esophagus, breast and prostate.
Read more great advice from the You Docs tomorrow in Living.
Toronto Star