One more complementary therapy bites the dust

When it comes to lowering cholesterol levels, garlic stinks, according to a new study from the Stanford University School of Medicine. Despite decades of conflicting studies about the pungent herb’s ability to improve heart health, the researchers say their study provides the most rigorous evidence to date that consuming garlic on a daily basis—in the form of either raw garlic or two of the most popular garlic supplements—does not lower LDL cholesterol levels among adults with moderately high cholesterol levels. “It just doesn’t work,� said senior author Christopher Gardner, PhD, assistant professor of medicine at the Stanford Prevention Research Center. “There’s no shortcut. You achieve good health through eating healthy food. There isn’t a pill or an herb you can take to counteract an unhealthy diet.�