Do garlic supplements lower blood cholesterol?
No. Garlic supplements are a waste of money. The leading claim for garlic supplements is that they lower blood cholesterol. But according to several well-designed studies, neither garlic supplements nor garlic itself has any effect on blood cholesterol. Heart attack rates are lower in Mediterranean countries where lots of garlic is consumed, but that doesn’t mean the garlic is responsible. It might be the olive oil, the emphasis on fruits and vegetables, genetics, physical activity, or other factors. It’s true that both garlic and onions contain a substance that might lower blood cholesterol or interfere with the formation of clots—but this has not been shown to occur in the human body. Does garlic, in any form, prevent cancer or boost immunity? Probably not, but no one knows for sure. You shouldn’t look to garlic as a cancer fighter. Is elephant garlic the same as regular? It’s really not garlic, but a close relative of the leek, another member of the onion family. It has the same com
