Decrease in artery intima-media thickness by garlic

Considering the anti-atherogenic effects of dietary compounds, development of anti-atherosclerotic therapy on the basis of natural products has been promoted. Garlic has been used as a therapeutic agent for many illnesses over centuries as evidenced from various studies; however, its role in prevention or regression of atherosclerosis in CAD patients is still questionable. We reviewed all English or face trial studies from 1995 to 2015 on the subject by using from Cochrane, Pubmed, Science direct, Web of Science, Magiran, Scopus, IranMedex, SID. After reading the title and abstract of articles by tow person, 6 trials on the effect of garlic on artery intima-media thickness, was included. Studies have shown that daily intake of 300 -900 mg garlic may have beneficial effects on the intima-media thickness in coronary artery disease patients and also in healthy people. Possible mechanisms include inhibiting the progression of vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation, reduction of intracellular cholesterol esters and increasing reverse cholesterol transport in macrophages. Treatment with garlic-based drugs can be an effective treatment for intima-media thickness regression in coronary artery disease patients and may be considered as a safe adjunct treatment. Further clinical studies require.