Plant Sterol enriched margarine spreads can help reduce blood cholesterol
June 1, 2008 by Liz Harper
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We’ve all seen margarine spreads in the supermarkets that boast about being “cholesterol reducing” etc. Have you every wondered if they really work?
Well…This is some information that I found on an information handout from the Heart Foundation…
What is a plant sterol?
Plant sterols are naturally occurring components mainly found in vegetable oils but are also present in smaller amounts in nuts, legumes, breads and cereals. Traces are also found in fruit and veges.
What effect do plant sterols have on blood cholesterol levels?
Plant sterols can lower blood cholesterol levels by around 10%, depending on how much is consumed. A reduced blood cholesterol level is associated with a reduced risk of heart disease and stroke.
How much plant sterol is needed to lower blood cholesterol levels?
A daily intake of about 2 to 3g of plant sterols is needed to have an effect on blood cholesterol levels. To achieve this level of intake, foods, such as margarine spreads, need to be enriched with plant sterols, consuming about 1 to 1.5 tablespoons of plant sterol enriched margarine spread each day.
Are there any side effects of plant sterol margarines?
In general, there doesn’t appear to be any evidence of safety concerns associated with the short-term consumption of plant sterols, although long-term safety studies haven’t been performed.
Plant sterols have been shown to lower the levels of carotenoids in the blood. People with lower levels of carotenoids may have a greater risk of coronary heart disease than people with higher levels of carotenoids. To counter balance any decrease in carotenoids people can include an additional daily serve of yellow or orange vegetables of fruit…e.g carrots.
People with a rare inherited metabolic disease called homozygous sitosterolaemia (1 in 6 million people affected) should restrict their consumption of plant sterols. These people have high levels of sterols in their blood because they have a high rate of gut absorption of plant sterols, which leads to premature atherosclerosis.
Can I eat too much plant sterol enriched margarine spread?
Plant sterol enriched margarine spreads can be included in moderate amounts as part of healthy eating. The recommended intake is 1 to 1.5 tablespoons per day.
It is important to understand though, that no single food can prevent against having a heart attack. Ultimately it comes back to maintaining an all over healthy lifestyle for good health it is still important to eat a variety of foods such as breads, cereals, rice, pasta, fruit, vegetables, legumes, lean meats, poultry, fish and reduced dairy products.
Hi-
Nice article, and certainly the point that a healthy lifestyle with no single food (or drug) preventing cardiovascular disease is right on the mark. The U.S. National Institutes of Health recommends a broad set of therapeutic lifestyle changes to promote heart health and cholesterol reduction. From a nutrtitional perspective, this covers plant sterols, soluble fiber, monounsaturated fats instead of saturated and trans fats, and reduced dietary cholesterol. Clinical studies have determined that this nutritioinal approach can deliver cholesterol reductions of 30% or more. Here at Kardea Nutrition, we also look at some other nutrients including Omega-3s from marine sources and niacin from nicotinic acid–although these nutrient are less about lower cholesterol and more about improving other blood lipid profiles.
Of course, living the heart healthy diet is not always easy. Kardea Nutrition’s mission is to enable heart healthy nutrition. We certainly provide some great products to help, but success really depends on the total diet, day-in and day-out. To explore the issues of natural cholesterol management more deeply, click to http://www.kardeanutrition.com or http://www.kardeagourmet.com.
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