ABSTRACT
GARLIC has a long history of use worldwide for a variety of culinary and medicinal purposes, and many potential health benefits have been widely claimed. Some of these potential health benefits include cholesterol lowering, blood pressure lowering, enhanced immune function, decreased blood coagulation, and anti-oxidant properties. At this time, a fairly extensive body of scientific studies has been published in medical journals on the putative cholesterol-lowering benefits of garlic in particular. The studies conducted in this area fall into two broad categories: (1) mechanistic studies that assess the impact of various garlic compounds on cholesterol metabolism using cell or tissue cultures, or animal models, on (2) human clinical trials examining the serum cholesterol response to garlic intake administered as any of several different garlic formulations. While the mechanistic studies have consistently reported an effect of garlic compounds on cholesterol metabolism, the clinical trial evidence for a cholesterol-lowering effect in humans remains controversial with an almost equal number of trials reporting a significant effect as those reporting no detectable effect. In an effort to summarize current knowledge and understanding of the effect of garlic intake on serum cholesterol, these studies will be reviewed and critically evaluated.
