4. Discussion
inflammation, reduction in blood pressure, hypercholesterolemia
HYPERCHOLESTEROLEMIA, INFLAMMATION, CARDIOVASCULAR MORBIDITY, ADVERSE EFFECTS, HYPERTENSION
This study aimed to validate whether daily supplementation with an optimized black-garlic extract could help to control blood pressure in medicated people with Grade I hypertension. The results of this study suggest a drop in systolic and diastolic blood pressure of 1.8 and 1.5 mmHg, respectively, at values measured at home, not observing significant changes in the measurements taken in the office.Garlic has repeatedly shown a beneficial effect in lowering blood pressure [On the other hand, it has also been shown that a daily ABG-extract supplementation, even at low doses of SAC (0.25 mg/day), induces significant effects on blood pressure control. This last point is critical to highlight since it demonstrates garlic extracts at low doses that are effective without inducing commonly reported side effects [The reduction in blood pressure measured at home is considered even more relevant than the measurement in the office since recent meta-analyses have indicated that home blood pressure monitoring better predicts cardiovascular morbidity and mortality than office blood pressure [The changes in blood pressure observed in this study are consistent with previous observations of the effect of the same ABG extract on cardiovascular physiology. A clinical trial in subjects with moderate hypercholesterolemia reported reduced diastolic blood pressure, particularly in men with diastolic blood pressure above 75 mmHg [Regarding inflammation markers, previous studies suggest that components of ABG extract present anti-inflammatory properties in models of lipopolysaccharide toxin inflammation induction [It is suggested that combination therapy is more effective than increasing doses of a single blood-pressure-reducing drug [This study has some limitations. Although a significant reduction in blood pressure was observed, the time of the day of administration can be optimized. Treatment-time differences affect the beneficial and adverse effects of different blood pressure-reducing drugs [