88-3 |
Efficacy of plant stanol ester in low-fat foods |
P. SALO, Raisio Life Sciences, Raisio Benecol Ltd., P.O. Box 101, Raisio, 21201, Finland and R. Bassett, Raisio Life Sciences, Raisio Staest US Inc., 325 Deming Way, Summerville, SC 29483. JUSTIFICATION Plant stanols help to reduce serum total and low density lipoprotein cholesterol levels by partly inhibiting the absorption of both dietary and biliary cholesterol from the digestive tract. OBJECTIVES Two clinical studies were conducted to determine the cholesterol-lowering effect of plant stanol ester when added in food products with a low content of fat. Most of the cholesterol-lowering effect of plant stanol esters can be obtained within one week. Two randomized, controlled double-blind parallel studies were conducted with a one-week run-in and two-week intervention periods. In the first study, 19 subjects consumed one pasta meal each day with 2 grams of stanol incorporated in the durum wheat pasta and 18 subjects served as controls consuming a daily meal of a regular pasta product. In the second study, 30 subjects consumed once a day a ready-prepared meal in which 2 grams of esterified stanol was incorporated. METHODS Stanol ester incorporated in the pasta products decreased both serum total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol in subjects with normal to elevated cholesterol values. The change in total and LDL cholesterol versus control were -8,0 % (p=0,01) and -10,9 % (p=0,01) respectively. HDL and triglyceride levels did not differ between intervention and control groups. RESULTS Stanol ester delivered in the ready-prepared meal products decreased both serum total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol in subjects with normal to elevated cholesterol values. Compared to control group, the mean reduction in total and LDL cholesterol were 6,8 % (p=0,003) and 10,1 % (p=0,005), respectively. HDL and triglyceride levels did not differ between intervention and control groups SIGNIFICANCE The randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials presented here show that esterified plant stanols effectively reduce serum total and LDL cholesterol levels even when used in food products with a low content of fat.
Session 88, Nutraceuticals & Functional Foods: General
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