B16 - Preventing the Common Cold With a Garlic Supplement

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Abstract

One hundred forty-six volunteers were randomized to receive a placebo or an allicin-containing garlic supplement, one capsule daily, over a 12-week period between November and February. They used a five-point scale to assess their health and recorded any common cold infections and symptoms in a daily diary.The active-treatment group had significantly fewer colds than the place­bo group (24 vs 65, P<.001). The placebo group, in contrast, recorded signifi­cantly more days challenged virally (366 vs 111, P<.005) and a significantly longer duration of symptoms (5.01 vs 1.52 days, P<.001). Consequently, volun­teers in the active group were less likely to get a cold and recovered faster if infected. Volunteers taking placebo were much more likely to get more than one cold over the treatment period. An allicin-containing supplement can pre­vent attack by the common cold virus.

Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11697022/