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Raw garlic and garlic supplements have been touted as natural cholesterol-lowering agents. However, randomized controlled trials testing this assertion have been very small or poorly designed, or have yielded inconsistent results.
Now, NIH researchers have randomized 192 people with fasting LDL-cholesterol levels of 130 mg/dL to 190 mg/dL and with triglyceride levels <250 mg/dL to consume one of three garlic products equivalent to a garlic clove (raw garlic, a powdered-garlic supplement, or an aged garlic-extract supplement) or placebo 6 days per week for 6 months. People on lipid-lowering or antihypertensive drugs were excluded.
During a 2-week run-in period, participants consumed non–garlic-containing sandwiches provided daily by the study …