Meditations on Quality of Life/It Smells of Immortality; The Quest to Beat Aging; Scientific American Presents; by Steve Mirsky; 1 Page(s)

My mother, who turns 39 next year (for the second time), says of her septuagenarian status, "I always wanted to look like Elizabeth Taylor. And now I do." Not everyone is so sanguine about getting older. Some of us fight it tooth and nail, both of which looked whiter and shinier years ago. A friend of mine (really, it's a friend, not me) has embarked on a life-extension regimen that he expects will lead to birthday cakes visible from space. My buddy gets regular aerobic exercise, avoids stress and eats a remarkably healthful diet consisting in great part of steamed vegetables. And garlic.

Garlic does indeed appear to impart a bounty of health benefits. According to published reports, garlic has proved to be good for you in more than 1,000 studies. It seems to cut the risk of various cancers; it lowers blood pressure; it wards off vampires; it lowers cholesterol; it has antifungal properties. It also richly deserves its nom de fume: the stinking rose.