ConsumerLab Finds Enormous Variation In Strength Of Garlic Supplements
White Plains NY, 29 October 2002

ConsumerLab.com's Product Review of Garlic Supplements found strength to vary by as much as 1500% across products. Strength was based on each product's ability to generate allicin, a chemical associated with the efficacy of non-aged garlic. ConsumerLab.com found that nearly one-quarter of non-aged products yielded less allicin than generally considered therapeutic.

Garlic is used in the treatment of elevated cholesterol, hypertension, and other diseases. More than 5 million units of garlic were purchased in the past year from drug stores, supermarkets and mass merchandisers in the US -- making garlic the most popular herbal product according to Information Resources, Inc.

Thirteen non-aged garlic products and one aged garlic product were purchased and tested by ConsumerLab.com. The amount of allicin produced by the non-aged garlic products ranged from as little as 400 micrograms to 6,500 micrograms per daily recommended serving. Ironically, a product with one of the lowest allicin yields per gram of garlic claimed that it was "Allicin Rich." Another product urged consumers to compare it to a better-known brand that ConsumerLab.com found to yield more than eight times as much allicin. Several products produced several times the amount of allicin they claimed.

"It is impossible for a consumer to know for sure how strong a garlic product is without testing it," said Tod Cooperman, MD, President of ConsumerLab.com. "Few products clearly state their allicin yield and, when they do, they are not always accurate."

A listing of all the products tested and their allicin yields are now available to ConsumerLab.com subscribers at www.consumerlab.com along with additional information on buying and using garlic products. Also available are results from 35 other ConsumerLab.com reviews of popular vitamins, supplements, and nutrition products. Additional reviews scheduled for release in coming months include probiotics, DHEA, and melatonin. ConsumerLab.com's Guide to Buying the Best Vitamins and Supplements is scheduled for print publication later this year.

ConsumerLab.com is a leading provider of consumer information and independent evaluations of products that affect health and nutrition. The company is privately held and based in White Plains, New York. It has no ownership from, or interest in, companies that manufacture, distribute, or sell consumer products. Subscription to Consumerlab.com is available online.

Source

ConsumerLab.com, LLC.