The C.A.M. Report
Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Fair, Balanced, and to the Point
  • About this web log

    This blog ran from 2006 to 2016 and was intended as an objective and dispassionate source of information on the latest CAM research. Since my background is in pharmacy and allopathic medicine, I view all CAM as advancing through the development pipeline to eventually become integrated into mainstream medical practice. Some will succeed while others fail. But all are treated fairly here.

  • About the author

    John Russo, Jr., PharmD, is president of The MedCom Resource, Inc. Previously, he was senior vice president of medical communications at www.Vicus.com, a complementary and alternative medicine website.

  • Common sense considerations

    The material on this weblog is for informational purposes. It is not medical advice or counsel. Be smart, consult your health professional before using CAM.

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    Slow-release garlic for cholesterol

     Researchers from the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences report positive effects on lipid blood levels when people with mild hypercholesterolemia were treated with a slow-release garlic product called Allicor.

    First, the details.

    • 42 adult men with mild hypercholesterolemia were randomly assigned to treatment with a time-released garlic powder tablets (Allicor 600 mg daily) or placebo for 12 weeks.
    • Neither the researchers nor patients were told of their treatment — double-blind.

    And, the results.

    • Allicor treatment resulted in moderate but statistically significant changes in cholesterol compared to the start of the study and compared to placebo.
      • Total cholesterol declined 8% and 12%, respectively.
      • LDL (bad) cholesterol fell 12% and 14%, respectively.
      • HDL (good) cholesterol increased 12% by the end of the study.

    The bottom line?
    The authors concluded that the results might be “due to the use of a time-released form of garlic powder tablets that provides a prolonged biological effect.”

    According to one source, dried garlic is thought to retain more of the properties of fresh garlic than do preparations such as garlic oil or extract.

    A PubMed search revealed 11 studies of this product. Most are in Russian, but an English-language study (which I can read) published earlier this year also reported beneficial effects (in people with diabetes) on lipid levels after 4 weeks of treatment with Allicor.

    12/9/08 19:59 JR

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