Heart Health High Cholesterol Nutrition Can Garlic Lower Your Cholesterol? By Jennifer Moll, PharmD facebook Jennifer Moll, MS, PharmD, is a pharmacist actively involved in educating patients about the importance of heart disease prevention. Learn about our editorial process Jennifer Moll, PharmD Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Anisha Shah, MD on November 22, 2019 linkedin Anisha Shah, MD, is board-certified in internal medicine and cardiology. She served as a Medical Advisor at Cigna, Physician Editor at MCG Health, and is currently a Physician Clinician Reviewer at Magellan Health. Learn about our Medical Review Board Anisha Shah, MD Updated on December 04, 2019 Print Matthew Leete/Digital Vision/Getty Images More in High Cholesterol Nutrition Causes & Risk Factors Diagnosis Treatment Support & Coping Garlic (Allium sativum) is a plant closely related to the leek and the onion. Known for its distinctive odor, it has also been designated the name “the stinking rose." It is mostly known for the flavor it adds to a variety of foods. Additionally, garlic contains the chemical allicin, which has been shown to kill bacteria and fungi and alleviate certain digestive disorders. It also lowers the clotting properties of blood. But the most notable attention garlic has received over recent years is its possible usefulness in lowering cholesterol levels. Health Benefits of Drinking Garlic Tea Does Garlic Actually Work? Garlic is one of the most widely purchased herbal supplements used to lower cholesterol levels. Research studies involving both animals and humans suggest that garlic can lower cholesterol levels. In most of the studies that produced cholesterol-lowering results, about one-half gram or one gram of garlic was consumed a day. LDL cholesterol (“bad” cholesterol) levels were very modestly lowered (if at all) whereas HDL cholesterol (“good” cholesterol) was not affected by the administration of garlic. The cholesterol-lowering abilities of garlic appear to be dose-dependent. That is, the more garlic you take, the lower your cholesterol will drop. In the very few studies that looked at the long-term effects of cholesterol, it appears that the cholesterol-lowering effect of garlic may be only temporary. Additionally, there is some debate as to which form (powder, extract, oil, tablet, raw) of garlic is the best in lowering cholesterol levels. Some studies suggest that garlic powder may have lower amounts of allicin, one of the active ingredients in garlic. This, too, remains under debate. It's important to note that the studies are very conflicting. While there are many that conclude garlic works well to lower cholesterol levels, there are also others that dispute this, contending garlic is ineffective in lowering cholesterol. Until more studies are conducted, garlic may not be the best choice for you if you're solely relying on it to lower your cholesterol. Before Taking Garlic for Cholesterol Most of the studies that examined the effectiveness of garlic on cholesterol used anywhere from 500 to 1000 mg of garlic in their study. The garlic preparations vary widely, from powders used in tablets to raw garlic used in cooking. The dose generally recommended is one to two cloves of raw garlic per day or 300 milligrams of dried garlic powder in tablet form. Be sure to tell your healthcare provider that you are taking garlic supplements to lower your cholesterol, since they may interact with certain disease conditions or medications you are taking, including saquinavir, a drug used to treat HIV infection.The most notable side effect of garlic is the presence of its persistent, distinctive odor being present on your breath and body. Some commercial preparations may boast of lowering this side effect, but you should still be aware that this undesirable side effect might occur.Additionally, if you are taking any type of blood thinner (anticoagulants like Coumadin (warfarin) or need surgery soon, you should not take garlic without first consulting your health care provider because this may lower your ability to clot your blood.Although there is not a definite limit on how much garlic you can consume a day, some studies have suggested that too much garlic (above 0.25 g/kg of body weight) may be harmful to your liver. For instance, if you weighed 150 pounds, this would roughly equal to consuming 70 grams of garlic in a day. This would be equivalent to eating 18 cloves of garlic or taking over 100 commercially available tablets (1 tablet equals 400 mg). User's Guide to Garlic A Word From Verywell The research on garlic for cholesterol shows varying results. To lower your risks of cardiovascular disease, you should use a variety of dietary and lifestyle modifications and discuss medications with your doctor. Certainly, if you love garlic this can be a good excuse to enjoy it in healthy dishes featuring vegetables, legumes, and lean protein. Cholesterol Doctor Discussion Guide Get our printable guide for your next doctor's appointment to help you ask the right questions. Download PDF Email the Guide Send to yourself or a loved one. Sign Up This Doctor Discussion Guide has been sent to {{form.email}}. There was an error. Please try again. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Looking to start a diet to better manage your cholesterol? Changing lifelong eating habits can be scary at first, but our guide will make it easier. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit Article Sources Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Huang J, Frohlich J, Ignaszewski AP. The impact of dietary changes and dietary supplements on lipid profile. Can J Cardiol. 2011;27(4):488-505. doi:10.1016/j.cjca.2010.12.077 Ried K, Toben C, Fakler P. Effect of garlic on serum lipids: an updated meta-analysis. Nutr Rev. 2013;71(5):282-99. doi:10.1111/nure.12012 Bayan L, Koulivand PH, Gorji A. Garlic: a review of potential therapeutic effects. Avicenna J Phytomed. 2014;4(1):1–14. Eilat-adar S, Sinai T, Yosefy C, Henkin Y. Nutritional recommendations for cardiovascular disease prevention. Nutrients. 2013;5(9):3646-83. doi:10.3390/nu5093646 National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Garlic. Updated September 2016. Mikaili P, Maadirad S, Moloudizargari M, Aghajanshakeri S, Sarahroodi S. Therapeutic uses and pharmacological properties of garlic, shallot, and their biologically active compounds. Iran J Basic Med Sci. 2013;16(10):1031–1048.