(NaturalHealth365) As many as two percent of the population are affected by rheumatoid arthritis. Characterized by joint inflammation that often causes deformity, many individuals diagnosed with the disease deal with pain, tender joints, fatigue, and additional life-altering symptoms.

Of course, conventionally speaking, there’s “no cure” for rheumatoid arthritis. However, a new study found that taking garlic supplements resulted in reduced body aches and discomfort for patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Not only did garlic supplementation result in improvements in pain, it reduce inflammation, fatigue, and disease activity scores, as well.

Inflammatory markers IMPROVED for those taking garlic supplements

Garlic – rich in compounds like diallyl sulfide and allicin – has been found to have anti-inflammatory effects on multiple studies, and researchers have documented its anti-fatigue and pain-relieving benefits in the past. Researchers wanted to dig deeper into how garlic would affect individuals with rheumatoid arthritis and gave 70 women with the disease 500 milligram garlic supplements or a placebo twice each day for eight weeks.

At the beginning, they measured various biomarkers of inflammation and clinical symptoms in the study group.  After eight weeks, the women with RA who’d received the garlic supplements saw a significant reduction in their serum C-reactive protein (CRP) and serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-a) levels as compared to the placebo group, which indicates lower inflammation levels.

Those taking garlic also saw improvements in tender joint count, pain, fatigue, and their disease activity scores after the eight-week trial.

According to researchers, this study is the first one of its kind that investigated the effects of garlic on inflammatory biomarkers, clinical symptoms, and fatigue in patients who have rheumatoid arthritis. With the positive results, garlic should be considered as an adjunct treatment for patients with RA, although scientists believe that more long-term studies would be helpful.

Garlic’s antioxidant properties offer additional health benefits

It’s the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of garlic that make it so beneficial, and it offers health benefits beyond these new discoveries for treatment RA.  Previous research found that garlic is associated with a lower mortality risk in individuals of all ages.

Supplementing with garlic even helps boost liver health, detoxifying the liver and even helping to reverse nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.  In addition, taking garlic supplements daily also helps reduce blood pressure – even as well as prescription blood pressure medications do.

Garlic supplementation is also linked to better heart health, improved immunity, lower cholesterol levels, and blood clot prevention.

One of the best ways to enjoy the benefits of garlic is to add more fresh, raw garlic to your diet. Toss it in salads, soups, or other dishes.

Of course, most people don’t eat enough garlic to maximize the health benefits, which is where a supplement can help. Consider a quality garlic supplement to take advantage of the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties garlic offers for better health.

Sources for this article include:

Wiley.com
LifeExtension.com
NaturalHealth365.com