Moreover, blood and liver cholesterol levels were reduced in the garlic and onion fed groups, compared to the group fed only the lithogenic diet.

Severely beaten at one point, and malnourished by a diet of goat's liver, rice and spaghetti, they endured mental and physical torment that would send a lot of people - and certainly me - quite mad.

It's also good for the liver - one cup per day cuts the risk of alcoholic cirrhosis by 20 per cent; four cups a day reduces the risk by 80 per cent, which is good news if you're on a red wine diet.