Multiple scientific studies have demonstrated that garlic can indeed be effective in preventing heart disease. It has been shown that in cultures where people eat large amounts of garlic, there is a lower incidence of heart attacks. Let's examine the reasons why this might be so.

Garlic and Cholesterol Levels. Garlic is said to help with high cholesterol levels by lowering the amount of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (so-called "bad" cholesterol) as well as increasing the amount of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (so-called "good" cholesterol).

These garlic health benefits are said to be a result of phytochemicals present in garlic that seem to work similar to cholesterol-lowering drugs. Garlic does not have any significant side effects, so using garlic for lowering cholesterol is certainly a safer method.

How Much Can Garlic Lower Your Cholesterol? If you want to use garlic to lower your cholesterol, how much of a reduction can you expect? Based on studies that have been done, about ten percent would be a reasonable estimate. Keep in mind, though, that the dosages in those studies were very high, as many as two dozen cloves of garlic a day!

Although there are probably easier ways to lower cholesterol numbers, I wouldn't let that discourage you from eating garlic. Garlic has so many additional benefits, it barely matters if you don't lower your cholesterol. The fact is, lowering your overall cholesterol numbers isn't that significant to your risk of heart disease. A more important factor is the ratio of HDL to LDL cholesterol, something garlic also improves.

High Cholesterol Levels Are Not What Causes Heart Disease

Cardiovascular disease does not occur because you have too much cholesterol in your bloodstream. It actually begins when the walls of your arteries and the cholesterol in your blood are damaged by free radicals and oxidative stress. Excessive free radicals are a result of your exposure to environmental toxins, in addition to a poor dietary habits.

Free-radical damaged cholesterol molecules stick to the walls of your arteries, and each other, eventually clogging the artery and causing a heart attack. Ultimately, it doesn't matter how much, or how little, cholesterol there is in your blood.

Garlic and Other Antioxidants Are the Key to Preventing Heart Disease

The real reason why garlic and other antioxidants prevent heart disease is that antioxidants stop the oxidation of cholesterol. As long as your arteries and cholesterol are healthy, atherosclerosis won't develop.

Garlic Works Better than Aspirin as a Blood Thinner. Aspirin is widely recommended by doctors as a way to prevent a heart attack, due to its anti-clotting effect. Garlic is said to be just as effective as an anti-clotting substance, without the dangerous side effects.

If you are taking aspirin as a preventive measure against heart disease, you might want to consider a natural alternative instead. You won't just get the heart protection you're looking for, but all of the other health benefits of garlic and ginkgo as well!

Aspirin Has Potentially Dangerous Side Effects. Using aspirin on a daily basis may cause stomach irritation that leads to bleeding, and possible kidney problems. Daily aspirin has also been connected to an increase in brain hemorrhages.

Other Antioxidants That Prevent Heart Disease. Garlic is just one of the natural substances that you can use to prevent heart disease. Numerous studies on the health benefits of garlic and antioxidants such as vitamin E and vitamin C, coenzyme Q-10 and ginkgo biloba, in addition to garlic, have all proven their ability to prevent heart disease.

Garlic and Cholesterol — Conclusions

Is garlic able to lower cholesterol? It certainly seems so, although, as I explained above, lowering your numbers does not really have any significant benefit to your overall health or risk of heart disease.

High cholesterol numbers may be an indication that there are problems somewhere else in your body, but high cholesterol is not inherently harmful. Eating garlic does seem to offer protection against heart disease, for whatever reason, and it also offers many other health benefits that make it a wise choice for anyone's diet.