From: drarwingnuttephd@gmail.com   
      
   Garlic Can Heal the Brain--and It Has Other Health Benefits    
   William Harrymanon    
   Sep 20, 2010    
      
      
   Sometime yesterday, Ramesh Bjonnes posted an article here at the Elephant   
   entitled, "Why Garlic Is a Brain Toxin!" I eat a lot of garlic, and I   
   regularly recommend it to my clients for controlling cholesterol, boosting the   
   immune system, and even for    
   increasing testosterone levels in aging men. So I figured I'd better read the   
   post.    
      
   I did. And then I did a Google Scholar search for "sulphone hydroxyl ion,"   
   which is the constituent the author said causes brain toxicity. Nothing came   
   up - I mean, like, zero. That's rare for anything that actually exists in the   
   world. What this means    
   is that no scholar or scholarly journal, magazine, or web site has ever   
   mentioned this substance. In general, that would mean it does not exist.    
      
   So then I did a Google Scholar search for "garlic, brain, toxicity," assuming   
   that if garlic is in any way toxic to the brain, someone would have noticed   
   that by now (garlic is a widely studied subject). I did not find anything that   
   suggests garlic is    
   toxic to the brain, but many articles have looked at the ways in which garlic   
   can remove other toxins from the brain, and maybe even stop neuronal apoptosis   
   (neuron death). In general, garlic (especially in very high doses, most   
   commonly as an aged    
   garlic supplement, which makes it more stable - beyond what one might get in   
   the diet) is neuro-protective, anti-cancer (including its possible use to   
   prevent Alzheimer's Disease and other neuro-degenerative disorders), and may   
   extend the life span of    
   cells, and therefore, of us.    
      
   Each of the following is an open-source, academic, peer-reviewed study (you   
   can read the whole study at the link):    
      
   Mechanisms of Inhibition of Chemical Toxicity and Carcinogenesis by Diallyl   
   Sulfide (DAS) and Related Compounds from Garlic    
   Chung S. Yang, Saranjit K. Chhabra, Jun-Yan Hong and Theresa J. Smith    
      
   Laboratory for Cancer Research, College of Pharmacy, Rutgers, The State   
   University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ 08854-8020    
      
   ABSTRACT    
      
   Diallyl sulfide (DAS) is a flavor compound derived from garlicand is   
   sequentially converted to diallyl sulfoxide (DASO) anddiallyl sulfone (DASO2)   
   by cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1). These compoundshave been shown to reduce the   
   incidence of a multitude of    
   chemicallyinduced tumors in animal models. The impediment of phase I   
   activationof these carcinogens is hypothesized to be accountable for   
   thereduction in tumor incidence. Indeed, DAS, DASO and DASO2 arecompetitive   
   inhibitors of CYP2E1. DASO2, in addition,   
    is a suicideinhibitor of CYP2E1. These compounds have been shown to   
   reducecarbon tetrachloride-, N-nitrosodimethylamine- and acetaminophen-induced   
   toxicityin rodents. All three chemicals are substrates for CYP2E1. The   
   protectiveeffect was observed when    
   the organosulfur compounds were givenbefore, during or soon after chemical   
   treatment. DAS and DASO2inhibited the bioactivation of 4-(methyl   
   itrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone(NNK) and related lung tumorigenesis in   
   A/J mice. Because CYP2E1does not play    
   a key role in NNK activation, the inhibition ofother CYP enzymes active in NNK   
   metabolism is likely. DAS alsohas been shown to induce other CYP and phase II   
   enzymes as wellas decrease hepatic catalase activity. All of these effectsare   
   observed at    
   concentrations much higher than what is normallyingested by humans. The   
   biological activities of garlic and itsrelated compounds at lower   
   concentrations that mimic human consumptionremain to be studied further.    
      
   * * *    
      
   Antioxidant Health Effects of Aged Garlic Extract    
   Carmia Borek    
      
   Department of Community Health and Family Medicine, Nutrition and Infectious   
   Diseases Unit, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02111    
      
   ABSTRACT    
      
   Oxidative modification of DNA, proteins and lipids by reactiveoxygen species   
   (ROS) plays a role in aging and disease, including cardiovascula   
   ,neurodegenerative and inflammatory diseases and cancer. Extractsof fresh   
   garlic that are aged over a prolonged    
   period to produceaged garlic extract (AGE) contain antioxidant phytochemicals   
   thatprevent oxidant damage. These include unique water-soluble o   
   ganosulfurcompounds, lipid-soluble organosulfur components and f   
   avonoids,notably allixin and selenium. Long-   
   term extraction of garlic(up to 20 mo) ages the extract, creating antioxidant   
   properties bymodifying unstable molecules with antioxidant activity, suchas   
   allicin, and increasing stable and highly bioavailable water-sol   
   bleorganosulfur compounds, such as    
   S-allylcysteine and S-allylmercaptocysteine.AGE exerts antioxidant action by   
   scavenging ROS, enhancing thecellular antioxidant enzymes superoxide   
   dismutase, catalaseand glutathione peroxidase, and increasing glutathione in   
   thecells. AGE inhibits lipid    
   peroxidation, reducing ischemic/reperfusiondamage and inhibiting oxidative   
   modification of LDL, thus protectingendothelial cells from the injury by the   
   oxidized molecules,which contributes to atherosclerosis. AGE inhibits the   
   activationof the oxidant-   
   induced transcription factor, nuclear factor(NF)-{kappa}B, which has clinical   
   significance in human immunodeficiencyvirus gene expression and atherogenesis.   
   AGE protects DNA againstfree radical-mediated damage and mutations, inhibits    
   multistepcarcinogenesis and defends against ionizing radiation and   
   UV-induceddamage, including protection against some forms of UV-   
   nducedimmunosuppression. AGE may have a role in protecting againstloss of   
   brain function in aging and possess other    
   antiagingeffects, as suggested by its ability to increase cognitive   
   functions,memory and longevity in a senescence-accelerated mouse model.AGE has   
   been shown to protect against the cardiotoxic effectsof doxorubicin, an   
   antineoplastic agent used in cancer    
   therapyand against liver toxicity caused by carbon tetrachloride (anindustrial   
   chemical) and acetaminophen, an analgesic. Substantialexperimental evidence   
   shows the ability of AGE to protect againstoxidant-induced disease, acute   
   damage from aging,    
   radiationand chemical exposure, and long-term toxic damage. Althoughadditional   
   observations are warranted in humans, compellingevidence supports the   
   beneficial health effects attributed toAGE, i.e., reducing the risk of   
   cardiovascular disease, stroke,   
   cancer and aging, including the oxidant-mediated brain celldamage that is   
   implicated in Alzheimer's disease.    
      
   * * *    
      
      
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   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)