title: Aged garlic extract with supplement is associated with increase in brown adipose, decrease in white adipose tissue and predict lack of progression in coronary atherosclerosis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Aged garlic extract with supplement (AGE-S) significantly reduces coronary artery calcium (CAC). We evaluated the effects of AGE-S on change in white (wEAT) and brown (bEAT) epicardial adipose tissue, homocysteine and CAC.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty subjects, randomized to a daily capsule of placebo vs. AGE-S inclusive of aged garlic-extract (250 mg) plus vitamin-B12 (100 μg), folic-acid (300 μg), vitamin-B6 (12.5mg) and L-arginine (100mg) underwent CAC, wEAT and bEAT measurements at baseline and 12 months. The postcuff deflation temperature-rebound index of vascular function was assessed using a reactive-hyperemia procedure. Vascular dysfunction was defined according to the tertiles of temperature-rebound at 1 year of follow-up. CAC progression was defined as an annual-increase in CAC>15%.
  
  
  RESULTS
  From baseline to 12 months, there was a strong correlation between increase in wEAT and CAC (r(2)=0.54, p=0.0001). At 1 year, the risks of CAC progression and increased wEAT and homocysteine were significantly lower in AGE-S to placebo (p<0.05). Similarly, bEAT and temperature-rebound were significantly higher in AGE-S as compared to placebo (p<0.05). Strong association between increase in temperature-rebound and bEAT/wEAT ratio (r(2)=0.80, p=0.001) was noted, which was more robust in AGE-S. Maximum beneficial effect of AGE-S was noted with increase in bEAT/wEAT ratio, temperature-rebound, and lack of progression of homocysteine and CAC.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  AGE-S is associated with increase in bEAT/wEAT ratio, reduction of homocysteine and lack of progression of CAC. Increases in bEAT/wEAT ratio correlated strongly with increases in vascular function measured by temperature-rebound and predicted a lack of CAC progression and plaque stabilization in response to AGE-S.
authors: Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, CA, USA; Greater Los Angeles Veterans Administration Medical Center, UCLA-School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, USA. Electronic address: ahmadi@ucla.edu.
authors: Naser
authors: N
authors: Ahmadi
authors: Vahid
authors: V
authors: Nabavi
authors: Fereshteh
authors: F
authors: Hajsadeghi
authors: Irfan
authors: I
authors: Zeb
authors: Ferdinand
authors: F
authors: Flores
authors: Ramin
authors: R
authors: Ebrahimi
authors: Matthew
authors: M
authors: Budoff
mesh_terms: D002001:Adipose Tissue, Brown / Q000378:metabolism*; D052436:Adipose Tissue, White / Q000378:metabolism*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000503:physiopathology; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D018450:Disease Progression; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005737:Garlic; D006710:Homocysteine / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010496:Pericardium / Q000378:metabolism; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D012307:Risk Factors; D062125:Thermometry; D013997:Time Factors; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D010936:Plant Extracts; D006710:Homocysteine
keywords: Aged garlic extract; Coronary artery calcium; Vascular function; White epicardial adipose tissue