Cholesterol-lowering margarines can support -- but not replace -- traditional medication- and diet-based anti-cholesterol therapies, conclude experts at the American Heart Association (AHA).
"Individuals who know that their LDL cholesterol is elevated should consult with their healthcare professional before including the new margarines in their cholesterol-lowering plan, especially if they are already taking medication," said Dr. Alice Lichtenstein, a member of the AHA's Nutrition Committee, cholesterol lowering margarines .
Two of the margarines -- McNeil's Benecol and Lipton's Take Control -- gained US Food and Drug Administration approval for sale in the US this month. McNeil Consumer Healthcare, the makers of Benecol, has announced that its product should be on grocery store shelves sometime this week. Both of the products are expected to sell for about five to six times the price of regular margarines.
Cholesterol-lowering margarines contain either sterol esters or stanol esters, plant-derived compounds that appear to reduce absorption of cholesterol within the digestive tract. Build-up of LDL ('bad') cholesterol on artery walls is a leading risk factor for heart attack and stroke.
In an AHA statement, Lichtenstein, who is also a professor of nutrition at Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts, warned that the new products "can only lower cholesterol levels about 7% to 10%." For this reason, she says, they should be used in combination with other cholesterol-lowering measures, such as regular exercise and a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet. She also believes that "for many people... cholesterol-lowering drugs may still provide the best means of lowering LDL cholesterol levels."
AHA experts (cholesterol lowering margarines) do not recommend that individuals who are unaware of their cholesterol status use these products as a method of 'preventing' cholesterol build-up.
"While cholesterol lowering margarines may be used a part of a treatment plan, they do not prevent the underlying cause of elevated LDL cholesterol levels," according to an AHA statement.
Still, Lichtenstein believes that "for people with elevated levels of cholesterol, the new margarines can provide an effective 'boost' to a LDL cholesterol-lowering plan prescribed by a physician."
"Individuals who know that their LDL cholesterol is elevated should consult with their healthcare professional before including the new margarines in their cholesterol-lowering plan, especially if they are already taking medication," said Dr. Alice Lichtenstein, a member of the AHA's Nutrition Committee, cholesterol lowering margarines .
Two of the margarines -- McNeil's Benecol and Lipton's Take Control -- gained US Food and Drug Administration approval for sale in the US this month. McNeil Consumer Healthcare, the makers of Benecol, has announced that its product should be on grocery store shelves sometime this week. Both of the products are expected to sell for about five to six times the price of regular margarines.
Cholesterol-lowering margarines contain either sterol esters or stanol esters, plant-derived compounds that appear to reduce absorption of cholesterol within the digestive tract. Build-up of LDL ('bad') cholesterol on artery walls is a leading risk factor for heart attack and stroke.
In an AHA statement, Lichtenstein, who is also a professor of nutrition at Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts, warned that the new products "can only lower cholesterol levels about 7% to 10%." For this reason, she says, they should be used in combination with other cholesterol-lowering measures, such as regular exercise and a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet. She also believes that "for many people... cholesterol-lowering drugs may still provide the best means of lowering LDL cholesterol levels."
AHA experts (cholesterol lowering margarines) do not recommend that individuals who are unaware of their cholesterol status use these products as a method of 'preventing' cholesterol build-up.
"While cholesterol lowering margarines may be used a part of a treatment plan, they do not prevent the underlying cause of elevated LDL cholesterol levels," according to an AHA statement.
Still, Lichtenstein believes that "for people with elevated levels of cholesterol, the new margarines can provide an effective 'boost' to a LDL cholesterol-lowering plan prescribed by a physician."
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