According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one in every six adults has high total cholesterol, which is 240 mg/dL or above. The CDC also reports that people with high cholesterol have nearly twice the risk of developing heart disease. One option is to take a cholesterol-lowering drug, also known as a statin.

Unfortunately, statins have serious side effects, and some experts even question their effectiveness. It’s no wonder that more people are looking for natural alternatives to statin drugs. Research shows that garlic may be a great choice.

Wellness Times editorial advisor Michael T. Murray, ND, calls statins a “one-sided situation” in his book What The Drug Companies Won’t Tell You And Your Doctor Doesn’t Know (Atria, 2009). Dr. Murray explains that based on the scientific research these drugs do not provide significant benefit to the patient and yet they are a very source of revenue for the drug companies.

Murray reports that statins have been shown to cause liver problems and nerve damage, and after prolonged use can potentially impair mental function and increase the risk of cancer and heart failure. Statins can cause a fatal condition known as rhabdomyolysis, which is the breakdown of muscle tissue. Statins also deplete levels of coenzyme Q10, which is vital to heart function. For more information on coenzyme Q10, click here.

However, an analysis published in the January 2012 issue of the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture found that not only was garlic superior to a placebo in reducing cholesterol, it doesn’t have the side effects of statins. Researchers evaluated 26 different randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials involving garlic. The researchers found that overall the garlic was superior to placebo (fake pill) in reducing total cholesterol with an average reduction of .28 in the garlic group compared to .13 in the other group.

“The benefits of garlic were more pronounced when used as a long-term treatment and in individuals who started treatment with higher total cholesterol,” explained the Natural Standard Research Collaboration, a partner of Wellness Times. Researchers also discovered that garlic powder and aged garlic extract were more effective at reducing total cholesterol than garlic oil.

According to the research, the recommended dosage for garlic supplements is between 600 and 1,200 mg per day taken in divided doses. You can also eat about one clove of garlic per day to get a similar effect.