Abstract

Background: Cardiovascular disease especially atherosclerotic coronary heart disease (CHD) accounts for a large popu- lation of all deaths and disability worldwide. Elevated lipid levels have a strong association with cardiovascular events. Objectives: Study aim is to reduce cholesterol levels with garlic supplementation.
Materials and Methods: It is a prospective, interventional open-label study to see the effect of garlic on serum choles- terol levels. Study was conducted in the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences, Ranchi. Fifty Healthy subjects with elevated cholesterol levels between 240 and 330 mg/dL were enrolled. th Subjects were given 3 g of raw garlic daily for a total period of 90 days. Follow-up was done on 30th, 60 , and 90th day after starting treatment.
Results: In male patients, the serum cholesterol level showed significant decrease of 13% ( P < 0.001) from mean base- line of 269.30 mg/dL to 233.93 mg/dL at 90th day. In female patients, the decrease was 10% (P < 0.001) from mean baseline of 260.30 mg/dL to 233.90 mg/dL at 90th day. Conclusion: Garlic has a role in cholesterol management as an adjunctive therapy in most cases of significant hyper - cholesterolemia thereby reducing risk of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular events.