title: Aged garlic extract improves adiponectin levels in subjects with metabolic syndrome: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized, crossover study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Garlic (Allium sativum) has been shown to have important benefits in individuals at high cardiovascular risk. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of the administration of aged garlic extract (AGE) on the risk factors that constitute the cluster of metabolic syndrome (MS).
  
  
  METHODS
  Double-blind, crossover, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial to assess the effect of 1.2 g/day of AGE (Kyolic), for 24 weeks of treatment (12 weeks of AGE and 12 weeks of placebo), on subjects with MS.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The administration of AGE increased the plasma levels of adiponectin (P = 0.027). No serious side effects associated with the intervention were reported.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present results have shown for the first time that the administration of AGE for 12 weeks increased plasma adiponectin levels in patients with MS. This suggests that AGE might be a useful, novel, nonpharmacological therapeutic intervention to increase adiponectin and to prevent cardiovascular (CV) complications in individuals with MS.
authors.affiliation: Dirección de Investigaciones, Fundación Oftalmológica de Santander (FOSCAL), Torre Milton Salazar, Primer Piso, Calle 155A No. 23-09, El Bosque, Floridablanca, Santander, Colombia.
authors.forename: Diego
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gómez-Arbeláez
authors.forename: Vicente
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Lahera
authors.forename: Pilar
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Oubiña
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Valero-Muñoz
authors.forename: Natalia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: de Las Heras
authors.forename: Yudy
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Rodríguez
authors.forename: Ronald Gerardo
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: García
authors.forename: Paul Anthony
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Camacho
authors.forename: Patricio
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: López-Jaramillo
mesh_terms: D052242:Adiponectin / Q000097:blood*; D000328:Adult; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D005737:Garlic / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D052242:Adiponectin; D010936:Plant Extracts