I haven't heard anything at any of the scientific meetings that I've attended on the subject. I did a literature search for you on PubMed and found no medical articles searching: "garlic AND gastric bypass". So I can't make a recommendation one way or the other. Best to talk to your physician if you are on any medications and you worry about interaction with garlic.
Here are abstracts from some representative articles that I found searching for anticoagulant effects of garlic. Hope these are useful.
Am Fam Physician. 2005 Jul 1;72(1):103-6.Links
Health effects of garlic.
Tattelman E.
Department of Family and Social Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, Bronx, New York 10467, USA.
etattelm@montefiore.org
Garlic has long been used medicinally, most recently for its cardiovascular, antineoplastic, and antimicrobial properties. Sulfur compounds, including allicin, appear to be the active components in the root bulb of the garlic plant. Studies show significant but modest lipid-lowering effects and antiplatelet activity. Significant blood pressure reduction is not consistently noted. There is some evidence for antineoplastic activity and insufficient evidence for clinical antimicrobial activity. Side effects generally are mild and uncommon. Garlic appears to have no effect on drug metabolism, but patients taking anticoagulants should be cautious. It seems prudent to stop taking high dosages of garlic seven to 10 days before surgery because garlic can prolong bleeding time.
Full text of article:
Health Effects of Garlic - July 1, 2005 - American Family Physician
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Mol Nutr Food Res. 2007 Nov;51(11):1386-97.Click here to read Links
Garlic (Allium sativum L.):
Adverse effects and drug interactions in humans.
Borrelli F, Capasso R, Izzo AA.
Department of Experimental Pharmacology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy.
Garlic (Alllium sativum L., Fam Liliaceae) is used medicinally mainly for the treatment of hypercholesterolemia and prevention of arteriosclerosis. Clinical trials have consistently shown that "garlic breath" and body odor are the most common (and well-documented) complaints associated to garlic intake. Case reports have highlighted the possibility that garlic use may cause allergic reactions (allergic contact dermatitis, generalized urticaria, angiedema, pemphigus, anaphylaxis and photoallergy), alteration of platelet function and coagulation (with a possible risk of bleeding), and burns (when fresh garlic is applied on the skin, particularly under occlusive dressings). Consumption of garlic by nursing mothers modifies their infant's behavior during breast-feeding. Finally, garlic may enhance the pharmacological effect of anticoagulants (e. g. warfarin, fluindione) and reduce the efficacy of anti-AIDS drugs (i. e. saquinavir).
Platelets. 2007 Feb;18(1):29-34.
Effects of garlic oil on platelet aggregation: a double-blind placebo-controlled crossover study.
Wojcikowski K, Myers S, Brooks L.
School of Natural and Complementary Medicine, Southern Cross University, Lismore, NSW, Australia.
kwojciko@scu.edu.au
The use of antiplatelet therapies decreases the incidence of mortality in persons prone to cardiovascular events. Several in vitro studies suggest that garlic may decrease platelet aggregation. We aimed to test the acute effects of garlic on platelet aggregation in 14 healthy volunteers using a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover research method. The active agent tested was solvent-extracted garlic oil incubated in ethanol to obtain organosulphur compounds that demonstrate the highest antiplatelet activity when tested in vitro. Platelet aggregation was induced ex vivo by adrenaline, collagen or adenosine diphosphate (ADP). Four hours after consuming one large dose of oil derived from 9.9 g garlic, there was little or no effect in the reduction of platelet aggregation. Platelet aggregation induced by adrenaline was reduced slightly but significantly (P<0.05; 12% reduction). The oil had no effect on collagen- or ADP-induced aggregation. The results of this controlled trial indicate that this type of garlic oil should not be relied on in persons with conditions in which reductions in platelet aggregation are desired or necessary.
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J Nutr. 2006 Mar;136(3 Suppl):793S-795S.Click here to read Links
Aged garlic extract may be safe for patients on warfarin therapy.
Macan H, Uykimpang R, Alconcel M, Takasu J, Razon R, Amagase H, Niihara Y.
Department of Medicine, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, Torrance, CA 90502, USA.
Garlic has been known to have antiplatelet properties. Because of the lack of major clinical data regarding the safety of concomitant use of garlic supplements and anticoagulants, we decided to evaluate the safety of using garlic extract along with oral anticoagulation therapy. During this project we tested aged garlic extract (AGE), a commercial garlic preparation, with warfarin (Coumadin). Sixty-six (66) patients were screened for a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled pilot study. Fifty-two (52) patients were randomized for the project. Forty-eight patients (30 men and 18 women, with a mean age of 56+/-10 years) completed the study. Eighteen patients (14 before randomization, 4 after randomization) were dropped from the study. The study medication (AGE or placebo) was administered at a dose of 5 mL twice a day for 12 wk. Potential bleeding and thromboembolic episodes were monitored. There was no evidence of increased hemorrhage in either the placebo or the AGE group. Adverse events included headache, fatigue, colds, and dizziness. However, no significant difference was found in the incidence of these minor adverse events between the groups. Thus, the adverse events are unlikely to be attributable to AGE. The results suggest that AGE is relatively safe and poses no serious hemorrhagic risk for closely monitored patients on warfarin oral anticoagulation therapy. Although the risk-benefit ratio of AGE use needs to be considered carefully when warfarin therapy is necessary, its positive effects may be beneficial to people with a high-risk background or who are taking cardiovascular medications.
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Mol Nutr Food Res. 2007 Nov;51(11):1386-97.Click here to read Links
Garlic (Allium sativum L.):
Adverse effects and drug interactions in humans.
Borrelli F, Capasso R, Izzo AA.
Department of Experimental Pharmacology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy.
Garlic (Alllium sativum L., Fam Liliaceae) is used medicinally mainly for the treatment of hypercholesterolemia and prevention of arteriosclerosis. Clinical trials have consistently shown that "garlic breath" and body odor are the most common (and well-documented) complaints associated to garlic intake. Case reports have highlighted the possibility that garlic use may cause allergic reactions (allergic contact dermatitis, generalized urticaria, angiedema, pemphigus, anaphylaxis and photoallergy), alteration of platelet function and coagulation (with a possible risk of bleeding), and burns (when fresh garlic is applied on the skin, particularly under occlusive dressings). Consumption of garlic by nursing mothers modifies their infant's behavior during breast-feeding. Finally, garlic may enhance the pharmacological effect of anticoagulants (e. g. warfarin, fluindione) and reduce the efficacy of anti-AIDS drugs (i. e. saquinavir).
Garlic and blood thinning
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