Sometimes, the results of scientific research just stink.

Garlic lovers the world around can thank SUNY Albany chemistry professor and UUP member Eric Block for his part in telling millions of fans of this pungent vegetable that if they’re waiting for proof that their favorite flavor also helps lower cholesterol, they might not want to hold their breath.

Block

Block, the Carla Rizzo Delray Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, was one of three researchers of the study that examined the popularly held belief that garlic is good for your heart by lowering cholesterol — a bit of food folklore that had appeared to have a scientific basis in earlier studies. The paper on the findings that Block wrote with Christopher Gardener of the Stanford University School of Medicine and Larry Lawson of the Plant Bioactives Research Institute in Utah was based on the first independent, long-term assessment of both raw garlic and garlic supplements.

The results: Neither garlic in the raw nor the popular garlic supplements had any measurable effect on cholesterol levels. Among the tools used in the study: 30,000 gourmet sandwiches turned out by the kitchens of the Stanford University food services department and spread with raw garlic mixed into condiments.

One key difference between the earlier studies that had shown positive results for garlic, at least in laboratory experiments, and the study that Block participated in: Many of the earlier studies had been funded by the makers of garlic supplements, and the research behind the Gardener/Block/Lawson study was funded by the National Institutes of Health, which had no vested interest in the findings.

‘Spreading’ the word

Block has studied the plant genus Allium — which also includes onions, leeks, shallots and chives — for 35 years. He and his study colleagues all have a soft spot for garlic because of its storied history. After all, Block notes, garlic was one of the ingredients cited in the world’s oldest cookbook, decoded from Sumerian tablets dating back 5,000 years in what is modern-day Iraq.

 “I think everyone on the planet knows what garlic is,” said Block, who is writing a book about Allium plants. “There’s a very long list of purported health benefits going back to some of the early Roman writers who recorded health benefits of certain plants, and garlic was one of them.”

Because they all described themselves as “garlic lovers” and because they wanted to make sure that their study was beyond reproach, Block and his colleagues tested both raw garlic and garlic that had been processed into supplements. Block felt no disappointment in helping to dispel a popular myth about garlic’s cholesterol-lowering properties, because the results of the study could enable physicians to provide more accurate advice to their patients.

Besides, the jury is still out on some of garlic’s supposed benefits, such as protection against the common cold; that finding will have to await further studies. In laboratory settings, at least, garlic does show what Block calls some “striking” antibiotic properties.

You study what?

If there’s a pun to be cracked about garlic, chances are Block’s already heard it. (Don’t ask him if his work has ever had “the sweet smell of success.”) He’s an organic chemist who long ago learned that when he tells people he studies onions and garlic, they’ll be both amused and fascinated.

“It actually is a wonderful way to loosen up conversation, because if you say, ‘I’m an organic chemist,’ people would say, ‘Oh, well …’” Block said.

After the puns usually comes the inevitable question: Does Block like garlic? The answer is yes, although he favors a light touch. He has yet to figure out the fascination for garlic ice cream, a popular feature at garlic festivals.

“I like garlic in moderation,” he said. “One of the features of garlic is that it’s very potent and assertive, so you don’t want to overdue it; it overwhelms everything else. In moderation, it’s marvelous.”

— Darryl McGrath