text: Garlic pills do n't lower cholesterol , study finds . LONDON 1996-08-22 Garlic pills may not lower blood cholesterol and studies that show they do may be flawed , British researchers have reported . A study by a team of doctors at Oxford University has found people with high blood cholesterol do not benefit significantly from taking garlic tablets . The study involved 115 people with high blood cholesterol levels . They were given 900 milligrams a day of dried garlic powder or placebo tablets . " There were no significant differences between the groups receiving garlic and placebo , " they wrote in the Journal of the Royal College of Physicians . Those taking part were told to eat a low-fat diet for six weeks before they started taking the pills , and their blood cholesterol measured before and after the six-week period . The researchers said this would make their findings more accurate . Several studies have found garlic pills can lower blood pressure and blood cholesterol . But the Oxford team disputed these findings and said either previous trials may have been interpreted incorrectly , those taking part were not given special diets beforehand or the duration of the studies may have been too short . The six-month trial was funded by the British Heart Foundation and Lichtwer Pharma GmbH , which makes Kwai brand garlic tablets . The study did not address whether whole garlic could affect cholesterol . -- London Newsroom +44 171 542 7950