A randomized factorial study of the effects of long-term garlic and micronutrient supplementation and of 2-wk antibiotic treatment for Helicobacter pylori infection on serum cholesterol and lipoproteins.
BACKGROUND
Little is known about the long-term effects of garlic or micronutrient supplementation on total, HDL, and LDL cholesterol in disease-free persons.


OBJECTIVE
We aimed to assess the effects of long-term supplementation with garlic and micronutrients and of short-term amoxicillin and omeprazole treatment on serum total, HDL, and LDL cholesterol in a rural Chinese population.


METHODS
We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, 2 x 2 x 2 and 2 x 2 factorial study of precancerous gastric lesions in 3411 subjects in Linqu County, Shandong Province, China. Thirty-four subjects were randomly selected from each of 12 treatment strata. Sera were analyzed at 3.3 and 7.3 y to measure effects on total, HDL, and LDL cholesterol after 2-wk twice-daily treatment with 1 g amoxicillin and 20 mg omeprazole and supplementation throughout the study with 1) 2 capsules twice daily, each containing 200 mg aged garlic extract and 1 mg steam-distilled garlic oil, or 2) twice-daily micronutrient capsules containing 250 mg vitamin C, 100 IU vitamin E, and 37.5 mg selenium.


RESULTS
Regressions adjusted for covariates indicated increases of 0.22 mmol total cholesterol/L (P = 0.01) and 0.19 mmol LDL/L (P = 0.02) after 7.3 y of micronutrient supplementation, but no effect of garlic supplementation or short-term amoxicillin and omeprazole treatment.


CONCLUSIONS
In this rural Chinese population with low meat intake and moderate cholesterol concentrations, long-term garlic supplementation had no effect on lipid profiles, whereas micronutrient supplementation was associated with small but significant increases in total and LDL-cholesterol concentrations at 7.3 y.
Zhang
Lian
L
Beijing Institute for Cancer Research, Beijng, China.
Gail
Mitchell H
MH
Wang
Yu-que
YQ
Brown
Linda Morris
LM
Pan
Kai-feng
KF
Ma
Jun-ling
JL
Amagase
Harunobu
H
You
Wei-Cheng
WC
Moslehi
Roxana
R
D000658:Amoxicillin / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D000897:Anti-Ulcer Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D002681:China; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood*; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D005737:Garlic; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016480:Helicobacter pylori; D006801:Humans; D008074:Lipoproteins / Q000097:blood* / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D018977:Micronutrients / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009853:Omeprazole / Q000008:administration & dosage; D012424:Rural Population
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000897:Anti-Ulcer Agents; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D008074:Lipoproteins; D018977:Micronutrients; D000658:Amoxicillin; D002784:Cholesterol; D009853:Omeprazole