Alho (Allium sativum) e suas atividades cardiovasculares: uma revisão de literatura

Abstract

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are diseases that modify the functioning of the circulatory system and are the leading cause of death in the world. Several natural products have been studied throughout history for supposedly having benefits in the prevention and treatment of CVDs, among such products is garlic (Allium sativum). Garlic is rich in sulfur compounds, has antioxidant properties and its therapeutic use is secular. Therefore, the present work aimed to perform a literature review about the cardiovascular activities performed by garlic. For such, it was performed a bibliographical survey in Pubmed and Periódico Capes databases, in which 23 scientific articles were selected. The results showed that garlic had its cardioprotective effects confirmed in most of the reviewed works. Among the effects verified are improvements in lipid profiles, blood pressure reduction, inhibition of platelet aggregation, reduction of fibrinogen, prevention of cardiac hypertrophy, reduction of coronary plaque volume, among other parameters related to cardiovascular risk. It was verified that the mechanism by which garlic exerts such effects is related to its antioxidant properties, coming from organosulfur compounds and total saponins. It is therefore concluded that garlic may play a very important role in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases.