In the meantime, I’m developing a better taste for large amounts of garlic+ginger - this will help
Several garlic-derived organosulfur compounds, including diallyl disulfide and trisulfide and 2-propenethiol, prevent cholesterol synthesis in cell cultures by inhibiting lanosterol 4α-methyl oxidase. Diallyl disulfide was active at a level of 15 μmol L−1, while the other compounds were somewhat less active. S -Allylcysteine was only active at much higher millimolar concentrations (Singh, 2006). Earlier studies implicated ajoene and allicin as inhibitors of cholesterol synthesis (Ferri, 2003; Gebhardt, 1996). Allicin has been suggested to affect atherosclerosis not only by acting as an antioxidant, but also by modifying lipoproteins and inhibiting LDL uptake and degradation by macrophages (Gonen, 2005).
The trial showed that there were no statistically significant effects of the three forms of garlic on LDL-C concentrations. The six-month mean changes in LDL-C concentrations for raw garlic, powdered supplement, aged extract supplement, and placebo were +0.4 mg dL−1, +3.2 mg dL−1, +0.2 mg dL−1 and −3.9 mg dL−1, respectively. There were no statistically significant short-term or longer-term effects on high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), triglyceride levels or total-cholesterol : HDL-C ratio. It was concluded that none of the forms of garlic used in the study, including raw garlic, when given at an approximate dose of a 4 g clove per day, six days per week, for six months, had statistically or clinically significant effects on LDL-C or other plasma lipid concentrations in adults with moderate hypercholesterolemia. Based on the results of these and other recent trials, it was concluded that physicians can advise patients with moderately elevated LDL-C concentrations that garlic supplements or dietary garlic in reasonable doses are unlikely to produce lipid benefits (Gardner, 2007).
A review of garlic and CVD by European experts states: “The investigations within the [European] Garlic & Health project as well as the majority of independent studies provided compelling evidence against a beneficial influence of garlic powders or garlic constituents on risk factors and pathological aspects of cardiovascular disease in animals and humans” (Espirito Santo, 2007). Reviews of statin alternatives in cardiovascular therapies and a meta-analysis of garlic supplementation and serum cholesterol by authors from Asia reach similar conclusions. These reviews conclude: “The negative result from the Stanford study, together with the absence of any evidence of clinical event reduction, means that at present garlic treatment can not be recommended for hyperlipidemia or for patients at risk of cardiovascular events” (Ong, 2008) and “the available evidence from randomized controlled trials does not demonstate any beneficial effect of garlic on serum cholesterol” (Khoo, 2009).
The Stanford trial did not specifically test garlic preparations containing distilled garlic oil or ajoene from garlic macerates. Ajoene, given at a dosage of 100 mg kg−1 (“polar fraction of garlic oil”) to rats made hyperlipidemic by feeding them coconut oil and 2% cholesterol, was reported to counteract the effects of the dietary lipids (Augusti, 2005). However, this level of ajoene used with rats corresponds to 7.5 g of pure ajoene for a 75 kg human, substantially higher than the doses recommended by supplement manufacturers and the levels of garlic products (13–15 mg allicin) used in the Stanford trial. Indeed, using a typical concentration of 0.1 mg g−1 ajoene in oil-macerate, 75 kg of oil-macerate, equal to the weight of a human, would have to be consumed! The majority of earlier clinical trials employing steam-distilled garlic oil with both normolipidemic and hyperlipidemic subjects showed, at best, small effects on serum cholesterol levels after 12 weeks; the studies showing small effects can be faulted for lacking diet control (Barrie, 1987).
BUT
The researcher, using fresh garlic homogenates, found evidence of liver damage after use of garlic for periods up to 21 days at levels ≥0.5 g of garlic per kg of body weight. They concluded that, based on a rat model, only daily doses of garlic ≤0.25 g kg−1 body weight (≤19 g or ∼five cloves for an adult weighing 150 lbs or 75 kg) are without harmful effects on the liver. They also note that for doses as low as 0.1 g kg−1 body weight, given daily for 28 days, there was significant deterioration in liver function tests (Rana, 2006). With rats given 2 g kg−1 fresh garlic, 55% mortality was observed after 15 days (Banerjee, 2002a). It should be noted that the average consumption of garlic, from all sources, in the United States is 4.2 grams per day, or slightly more than one clove (Lucier, 2000).
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hm yeah, garlic is also stronger than ginger
