The Cholesterol-Lowering Supplement You Might Be Taking Without Realising

Garlic has quite the reputation. For many cooks, it’s the go-to addition that transforms bland and flavourless dishes into delicious feasts.

But it’s not just its tasty properties that garlic is renowned for. For thousands of years, people have turned to this humble bulb for its supposed health benefits, using it to treat everything from infections to digestive issues.

Today, this tiny but mighty ingredient is lauded for anti-cancer properties, anti-inflammatory effects and – perhaps most prominently – improving cardiovascular health by reducing cholesterol in the blood.

It’s not just a staple of the home cook’s larder – it’s a functional health booster, sold to wellness enthusiasts in powdered, concentrated supplements.

But does it actually lower cholesterol?

While there has been a lot of research suggesting that this ingredient is beneficial to our bodies, the science of garlic’s cholesterol-busting abilities is far from clear-cut.