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Garlic in High Doses May Protect Arteries

One of the oldest documented herbal medicines may prove to be the latest in cardioprotectants. Researchers at Humboldt University in Berlin measured garlic's anti-atherosclerotic effect in a four-year, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Lichtwer Pharma AG, Berlin, funded the study and provided the garlic used in the trial—available in the United States as Kwai Garlic.

Researchers selected 280 patients who had advanced atherosclerotic plaques in the carotid and femoral arteries as measured by ultrasound, and who also had at least one established risk factor for cardiovascular disease such as high blood pressure or cholesterol, diabetes or smoking. Patients were randomized to receive either placebo or 900 mg garlic powder daily. The results, published in Atherosclerosis [1999 May;144(1):237-49], suggest that garlic may decrease arterial plaque buildup in certain individuals and, in some cases, actually promote plaque regression. The authors conclude, "Taking high-dose garlic can reduce the increase in arteriosclerotic plaque volume by 6 to 18 percent or even effect a regression within four years."

It is important to note that only 152 (a little more than half) of the participants finished the study, reducing the amount of data.

There are some other factors to keep in mind when evaluating this study: More than 20 percent of the garlic group dropped out in the first three months, citing "annoyance by odor." Thus the garlic scent may have unblinded everyone in this group. The relatively high dropout rate may also bias the data interpretation since data from the dropouts weren't analyzed.

The researchers apparently did not exclude subjects taking vitamins, nor did they assess diet or activity, all of which could potentially influence plaque formation. The plaque data were not evaluated in a manner typical of other plaque-regression studies, and the method used prevents a more rigorous analysis of changes over time. Finally, the ultimate objective of an intervention trial like this is to measure changes in heart attack or death rates. This type of study is needed to truly validate the therapeutic effects of "the stinking rose."