Though garlic is touted for heart health, new research suggests
that garlic supplements have no effect on several heart disease
risk factors.
In a study of 90 overweight smokers, European researchers found
that those who took a garlic powder supplement for three months
showed no changes in their cholesterol levels or several other
markers of heart disease risk.
The study, published in the American Journal of Clinical
Nutrition, adds to the conflicting evidence on garlic and
heart health. A number of studies have found that garlic
supplements may help lower blood cholesterol, and possibly blood
pressure, but other studies have failed to find such benefits.
In the new study, researchers looked at whether a garlic
supplement could affect heart risk factors other than the usual
suspects of high cholesterol and high blood pressure.
Along with blood cholesterol, they measured participants' levels
of C-reactive protein (CRP) and other blood proteins that indicate
the degree of inflammation in the arteries.
After three months, men and women who were assigned to take the
garlic supplement showed no changes in either these measures or
their cholesterol levels. In contrast, those given the cholesterol
drug atorvastatin (Lipitor) showed a drop not only in cholesterol,
but also in levels of CRP and another inflammation marker called
TNF-alpha.
(China Daily January 8, 2007)