Blackmores Institute

Reporting in journal, Phytotherapy Research, the randomised, placebo-controlled double-blind study found that supplementation of 1000 mg of garlic daily compared with placebo in women with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) led to a decreased in disease activity scores (DAS-28).“At baseline and at the end of the study, clinical symptoms, fatigue, serum level of C-reactive protein (CRP), tumour necrosis factor-a (TNF-a), and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) were determined. After intervention, serum levels of CRP (p = .018) and TNF-a (p &lt; .001) decreased significantly in the garlic group as compared with the placebo group.” “Also, pain intensity, tender joint count, disease activity score (DAS-28), and fatigue were significantly decreased in the intervention group compared with the control group (p &lt; .001; for all). Swollen joint count was significantly decreased in the garlic group (p &lt; .001), but not in the placebo group (p = .123),” the authors reported. Although the mechanism of RA pathogenesis is not fully understood, according to the study, it is believed that CD4+ T lymphocytes and their cytokines are involved in its pathogenesis. As the CD4+ T helper (Th) cells are differentiated into different subsets of effector Th cells, an imbalance between proinflammatory Th1 and anti-inflammatory Th2 cells and their products interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) and IL-4, respectively, is regarded as important in the development of RA.According to the authors, studies evaluating the effect of garlic on clinical symptoms of RA are scarce with previous studies showing that allicin and diallysulphide from garlic significantly reduce the levels of IL- 1β-induced prostaglandins E2 and MMPs, thereby acting as potential compounds to ameliorate the clinical outcomes in arthritis.“One study indicated that 1,000 mg garlic supplementation for 12 weeks might reduce pain severity in women with knee osteoarthritis and an experimental study also reported that garlic powder could be considered as a potent analgesic and anti-nociceptive agent. Thus, it seems that at least part of the effects of garlic in the alleviation of clinical signs in this study may be due to the inhibitory effect of garlic on the inflammatory factors production.” “To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first investigation that was designed to evaluate the effect of garlic supplementation on inflammatory biomarkers, fatigue, and clinical symptoms in patients with RA and the present study indicated that garlic supplementation as an adjunctive treatment might have beneficial effects on inflammatory biomarkers, clinical symptoms, and fatigue in RA,” the authors concluded.Source:
 Phytotherapy Research. 2020. DOI: <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/ptr.6723">10.1002/ptr.6723</a>

People suffering with rheumatoid arthritis may find symptomatic relief with the use of garlic supplements, a new study has found.

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