Consumer group attacks garlic health claim

A consumer activist group urged U.S. regulators on Tuesday to halt what it said were misleading claims by health-food makers that garlic supplements will lower blood cholesterol levels, CNN reports. The Center for Science in the Public Interest cited a report published in October by researchers with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services who found garlic supplements do not lower cholesterol levels for an amount of time long enough to help the user. The consumer group asked the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to order garlic supplement manufacturers to refrain from making the health claims. The federal researchers evaluated 37 trials that tested the effect of garlic on blood cholesterol levels. Small reductions occurred when participants consumed garlic for one to three months, but not when they took it for six months or longer.