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Lowering Cholesterol With Spreads

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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. "

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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

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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

>

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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

>

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