Dietary use of garlic might lower some types of cholesterol in the short term, but it's long-term protection against cardiovascular disease has not been determined, says a report by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
Garlic might help to reduce low-density lipids (LDL), or "bad" cholesterol, and triglycerides. However, the evidence is only for short-term (one to three months) effects. The levels of high-density lipids (HDL), or "good" cholesterol, were unaffected. After six months, no further reductions in either triglycerides or LDL were apparent.
The report calls for additional research to examine the short-term benefits versus the long-term benefits of garlic consumption. The authors found no evidence that garlic has a beneficial impact on blood pressure.
According to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, there are some intriguing basic science studies that suggest that garlic has some biological activities that are relevant to the treatment of diabetes. However, the evidence so far does not support that there is any benefit from garlic for type 2 diabetes.
The evidence was inconclusive about garlic's role in protecting against cancer. Dietary garlic may possibly be associated with decreased likelihood of some types of cancer, but the number of available studies was not sufficient to draw conclusions.
Another limitation of the current evidence is that research does not sufficiently address the variations in garlic preparations, such as raw, cooked, or supplement form. Types of garlic and garlic preparations vary widely. As a supplement, it is available dehydrated in tablets and as extracts, oils, and in combination with other supplements. |
