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Effects of Three Sources of Garlic on Plasma Lipids

Garlic is widely promoted as a cholesterol-lowering agent, but the studies conducted up to date have produced conflicting results. One of the main reasons for the inconsistency in these findings could be the different availability of the beneficial compounds in raw garlic compared to commercial supplements. The objective of this study was to compare the effect of raw garlic and of two garlic supplements with distinctly different formulations on the plasma lipid concentrations of adults with moderate hypercholesterolemia.

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Eligible Participants

  • Generally healthy adults, 30 to 65 years of age
  • Having moderately elevated LDL-cholesterol

Study Design

One-hundred and ninety-two participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups: raw garlic, and two commercial tablet formulations – Garlicin, a powdered supplement, and Kyolic-100, an aged garlic supplement and one of the most popular brands on the market at the time of this study. Participants were asked to consume their prescribed garlic product 6 days per week for 6 months, at an approximate dose of a 4-gram clove per day. All participants received sandwiches with a condiment containing garlic (for the raw garlic group) or the same condiment without garlic (for the two supplement groups). The raw garlic group received placebo tablets. Blood samples were collected at the beginning of the study, then monthly for the duration of the trial.

Conclusions

The results of this study showed no statistically significant effects of the three forms of garlic on LDL-cholesterol or other lipids measured. The decrease in LDL-cholesterol was not clinically relevant for any of the groups. Based on these results, and those of other recent trials, physicians can advise patients with moderately elevated LDL-cholesterol that garlic supplements or dietary garlic in reasonable doses are unlikely to improve their lipid profiles.

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