Despite widespread claims, garlic has not been proven to lower cholesterol. Studies on the effectiveness of garlic have shown conflicting results. A number of the studies indicate that it lowers cholesterol, while other studies show that it has no effect at all.

Dr Christopher Gardner at the Stanford Prevention Research Center, California, enlisted 192 men and women to participate in a study. The patients all had slightly elevated cholesterol (LDL) levels. The range of LDL concentrations in their blood was between 130 and 190 mg/dL.

The study participants were split in to one of four random groups. The first group was given raw garlic, the second a powdered garlic capsule, the third with a garlic extract, and the fourth group took a placebo (sugar pill).The participants who took a supplement equivalent to an average dose of a 4 gram clove of garlic for 6 days per week for 6 months. In the first group that was given raw garlic, the garlic was provided in a sandwich.

Each participant’s blood was tested once a month for the three cholesterol indicators, LDL and HDL cholesterol and triglycerides. The results of the study showed that, statistically, there was no significant effect of any of the garlic treatments on the cholesterol readings.