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A new study has found that garlic supplements can cut blood concentrations of the antiretroviral drug saquinavir by more than half. "The clear implication is that doctors and patients should be cautious about using garlic supplements during HIV therapy," study co-author Dr. Judith Falloon, of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), said in a statement.

Falloon and her colleagues tracked blood levels of saquinavir, a protease inhibitor, in 10 healthy HIV-positive patients. Patients took the drug for 39 days. For part of that time, they also took a standard dose of garlic caplets twice a day. "In the presence of garlic supplements, blood concentrations of saquinavir decreased by about 50 percent," Falloon said. They found that even after a "washout" period of ten days after the patients stopped taking the garlic, blood levels of saquinavir remained 35 percent below normal.

"It's clear from this study that any patient using saquinavir as the sole protease inhibitor should avoid using garlic supplements," Falloon said.

Editor's Note: from Reuters Health