Guest guest Posted May 18, 2004 Report Share Posted May 18, 2004 Cholesterol-lowering spreads One of the most high profile functional foods is cholesterol- lowering margarine, welcomed because high blood cholesterol is a known risk factor for coronary heart disease. The two current brand names of cholesterol-lowering spreads, Benecol and Flora Pro-Activ, contain plant stanols and sterols respectively. These plant compounds, which are very similar, lower LDL or 'bad' cholesterol levels by reducing the amount we absorb from our small intestine. Using such products has been shown to reduce LDL cholesterol levels by between 10-15 percent within a few weeks. They work by preventing LDL cholesterol from entering the blood stream from the digestive system and liver. The normal dietary intake of plant sterols, which are found mostly in cooking oils and margarine, is 200-400mg a day. The normal intake of plant stanols is negligible. If 2g a day of plant sterol or stanol was added to the average daily portion of margarine, there would be a reduction in the risk of heart disease of about 25 percent, an article in the British Medical Journal concluded. " This is larger than the effect that could be expected to be achieved by people reducing their intake of saturated fat, " the author said. Other cholesterol-lowering spreads Last year's BMJ article (see above) hailed sterol and stanol margarine spreads as a potential breakthrough in the primary prevention of ischaemic heart disease. The author added: " It is to be hoped that in the longer term plant sterols and stanols will become cheap and plentiful and so will be able to be added to foods eaten by the majority of the population. " Is adding stanols and sterols to food safe? Manufacturers are working towards adding these plant compounds to a wide range of foods by bringing out other products such as snack bars, yoghurts and cream cheese-style spreads. The process encountered a hiccup when the Australia New Zealand Food Authority (ANZFA) banned all foods containing plant sterols other than margarine. It said this was because it had no evidence to show plant sterols were safe at the higher levels of intake, which might be expected in a broader range of foods. It also said the spreads must carry an advisory saying they were not appropriate for infants, children, pregnant and breastfeeding women because they may reduce the absorption of beta carotene, which the body converts to the antioxidant vitamin A. The ANZFA said people using cholesterol- reducing medication should take medical advice before using the spreads. In the UK, so called 'novel foods' - those which weren't widely on sale in the EU before 1997 - must go through a safety approval process before they can be launched. Flora Pro-Activ went through this process. Benecol didn't because it was on sale before 1997, but experts accept it contains largely the same ingredients. European food safety watchdogs are considering the implications of allowing plant sterol products to become widespread in foods, says a Food Standards Agency spokesman. " They're not considered widespread enough, anyway, at the moment but we would like to know what any possible health implications might be, " he adds. The spokesman said he was not aware of any groups who should not eat plant sterol products, although pregnant women should always consult their GP about their diet. Members of the UK's new health claims watchdog, the Joint Health Claims Initiative (JHCI), are monitoring developments closely. Ruffell, JHCI executive secretary, says: " We don't really know what sort of effect plant sterol products will have in 30 years' time. " As things stand, UK nutritionists and scientists recognise cholesterol lowering products are a good thing - but they stress it doesn't give people an excuse to overdose on saturated fat. " They aren't a replacement to eating well but an adjunct to it, " says independent dietician Lyndel Costain. " Lowering cholesterol is only part of the healthy heart story. You have to watch all of your diet, and take regular exercise. " Probiotics Probiotics are natural micro-organisms added to food or taken as a supplement, which aid digestion and are therefore beneficial to health. Most people became aware of them with the launch of Yakult, a fermented skimmed milk drink containing so-called 'friendly bacteria' which help with digestion. Other similar products are now available. Every one of Yakult's tiny 65ml bottles, for example, contains 6.5 billion friendly bacteria of the strain lactobacillus casei shirota. The bacteria work alongside our own natural bacteria - or gut flora, to aid digestion. Probiotics are now also available in yoghurts, fruit juice, as pills or in powdered form. Research supports the beneficial effect of probiotics for a number of digestive disorders, including: Are probiotics safe? Professor Glenn Gibson, head of food microbiology at Reading University, thinks probiotics are a good addition to our diet. " Everybody gets gut problems - a fifth of the population are suffering at any one time, " he says. " It may just be food poisoning or gastroenteritis but if you're unlucky you'll suffer from irritable bowel syndrome or even bowel cancer. All these conditions are related to diet; and because they're related to diet, they're related to gut flora. It's really important to fortify the flora to try and prevent these disorders. " So should we incorporate probiotics into our diet or just wait until our stomachs get upset? " My feeling is that everybody could do with them, apart from breastfed infants, who have very high gut flora levels, anyway, " says Professor Gibson. Dietician Lyndel Costain says: " There's not much evidence about probiotics' effect on healthy people. But you may get nutrition out of the basic product as well, which can't be a bad thing. " Most of the research into probiotics has concentrated on 'at risk' groups. Recent studies into various strains of the 'friendly' lactobacillus bacteria have linked it to fewer respiratory infections among children, a lower incidence of eczema in babies whose mums took the supplement - and even credited it with fighting the 'superbug' MRSA. While this is very encouraging, studies have also shown it's difficult to keep the friendly bacteria alive long enough to reach the colon, where their usefulness begins. And researchers in Belgium found only 20 percent of the 55 probiotic products they looked at contained all the helpful organisms listed on their labels. Nine products failed to contain even one of the probiotic strains listed. Fresh products like yoghurt fared reasonably well but dried products did not, the University of Ghent team reported. Stanner of the British Nutrition Foundation recognises the flood of research findings into probiotics can be very confusing for consumers. " Our advice is to put all these findings into perspective. Probiotics seem to be helpful in preventing and treating an upset stomach - if you're going abroad, for example - and to certain high- risk groups. But if you're just taking it in a normal situation, at the moment there's not much evidence to show they'll do you any good. " Are fortified and functional foods worth buying? Dr Margaret Rayman, course director of the Nutritional Medicine MSc programme at the University of Surrey, argues there are enough nutrients in natural foods to maintain good health. " The bottom line is that you should eat lots of fruit and vegetables because there's so much evidence they'll reduce chronic disease. The Mediterranean diet of fish, fruit and veg, olive oil and red wine is also very good. " The JHCI's Ruffell, a nutritionist, advises people to carefully read product labels. " Just because they make wonderful claims doesn't necessarily mean they're true, " she says. You can't make unhealthy foods healthy by just fortifying them with vitamins, for example. Check whether they've had independent assessments done on them. " She adds: " If you think a food sounds too good to be true, it probably is because no wonder food exists. All this suggests that proven functional foods may have a beneficial effect on our health, but they are no replacement for a healthy, balanced diet and lifestyle. " Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 19, 2004 Report Share Posted May 19, 2004 If they expect the general public to use these stanol and sterol products, the price needs to be reduced. At $6.19 per container of Benecol (not sure of the weight/volume), I think it is way out of the range most people are going to pay for it. I've been using Brummel & Brown's spread made with yoghurt. I Tblspn. (14g) has 45 calories, all of them from fat. The amazing part is that this does taste like butter. I attribute that to whatever small amount of yoghurt is in the product. The yoghurt is in the form of cultured non-fat milk; no mention of what cultures they are using. Remaining stats: Total fat: 5g Sat. fat: 1g Trans fat: 0g (read .5 as this does contain partially hydrogenated soybean oil) Polyun. fat: 2.5g Monoun. fat: 1g Chol.: 0 Sodium: 90 mg Carbs and Protein: 0g each At any rate, a small amount of this does satisfy my taste buds and, at least on paper, it looks better than butter or margarine, including Benecol, stats do to me. Ruth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 20, 2004 Report Share Posted May 20, 2004 From " Seacoast Today " http://www.s-t.com/ " BRUMMEL & BROWN SPREAD MADE WITH YOGURT Price: $1.39 to $1.59 per 1-pound tub, two 8-ounce tubs, or box of four quarter-pound sticks Bonnie: Add this new Brummel & Brown made with yogurt to the butter, margarine, vegetable oil blends and butter blends already being sold in the dairy case. The ads for B & B tout it as being " blended with the wholesome goodness of yogurt. " That naturally led me to believe that Brummel & Brown would be full of yogurt's wholesome calcium. I was wrong. This spread contains so little yogurt that the calcium doesn't even show up on the nutritional label. Butter doesn't contain calcium either, but the companies I know who sell it aren't making similar claims about the " wholesome milk " it contains. Brummel & Brown also contains about the same amount of fat, saturated fat and calories as such other dairy-case offerings as Blue Bonnet, Move Over Butter, and I Can't Believe Its Not Butter Light. Specifically, the spread contains about 50 calories, 5 grams of fat and 1 gram of saturated fat; the sticks 90, 11 and 2 respectively. Both versions are transfat-free, but then so are Promise and many other brands. Then why choose Brummel & Brown? Nutritionally, there is no reason. " >From: Ruth <cccucc@...> >Reply- >< > >Subject: Re: [ ] Lowering Cholesterol With Spreads >Date: Wed, 19 May 2004 06:03:57 -0700 > >If they expect the general public to use these stanol and sterol products, >the price needs to be reduced. At $6.19 per container of Benecol (not sure >of the weight/volume), I think it is way out of the range most people are >going to pay for it. > >I've been using Brummel & Brown's spread made with yoghurt. I Tblspn. >(14g) >has 45 calories, all of them from fat. The amazing part is that this does >taste like butter. I attribute that to whatever small amount of yoghurt is >in the product. The yoghurt is in the form of cultured non-fat milk; no >mention of what cultures they are using. > > >Remaining stats: >Total fat: 5g >Sat. fat: 1g >Trans fat: 0g (read .5 as this does contain partially hydrogenated soybean >oil) >Polyun. fat: 2.5g >Monoun. fat: 1g >Chol.: 0 >Sodium: 90 mg >Carbs and Protein: 0g each > >At any rate, a small amount of this does satisfy my taste buds and, at >least >on paper, it looks better than butter or margarine, including Benecol, >stats >do to me. > >Ruth > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 20, 2004 Report Share Posted May 20, 2004 From The Nutrition Action Health Letter: " Made with Yogurt or Buttermilk. The yogurt in Brummel & Brown’s spread may add to its creamy-but-tart flavor. But despite the label’s claim, there’s not enough to supply “the goodness of yogurt,” if by that the company means vitamins, protein, and active cultures. Ditto for brands made with sweet cream buttermilk. Enjoy the flavor, but don’t expect more. " >From: Ruth <cccucc@...> >Reply- >< > >Subject: Re: [ ] Lowering Cholesterol With Spreads >Date: Wed, 19 May 2004 06:03:57 -0700 > >If they expect the general public to use these stanol and sterol products, >the price needs to be reduced. At $6.19 per container of Benecol (not sure >of the weight/volume), I think it is way out of the range most people are >going to pay for it. > >I've been using Brummel & Brown's spread made with yoghurt. I Tblspn. >(14g) >has 45 calories, all of them from fat. The amazing part is that this does >taste like butter. I attribute that to whatever small amount of yoghurt is >in the product. The yoghurt is in the form of cultured non-fat milk; no >mention of what cultures they are using. > > >Remaining stats: >Total fat: 5g >Sat. fat: 1g >Trans fat: 0g (read .5 as this does contain partially hydrogenated soybean >oil) >Polyun. fat: 2.5g >Monoun. fat: 1g >Chol.: 0 >Sodium: 90 mg >Carbs and Protein: 0g each > >At any rate, a small amount of this does satisfy my taste buds and, at >least >on paper, it looks better than butter or margarine, including Benecol, >stats >do to me. > >Ruth > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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