Benecol and Healthy Cholesterol

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Benecol Helps Promote Healthy Cholesterol

A dietary substance called plant stanol esters is available in the United States. Plant stanol esters have been commercially available for several years in Finland in a margarine product with the brand name BENECOL, that blocks dietary cholesterol absorption, resulting in a significant lowering of total serum and LDL (bad) cholesterol levels in the blood.
The natural ingredient in Benecol is stanol ester, a sterol derived from plants. Plant stanol esters are unique members of the phytosterol family of compounds, which are well-known phytochemicals found in various plants and vegetable oils such as pine trees, soy, corn, and wheat.
Stanol esters, when esterified or combined chemically with small amounts of canola oil, can be incorporated into foods as a colorless, tasteless ingredient, so that their cholesterol-lowering benefits can be brought to consumers in a variety of forms.
Benecol Dietary Supplement will be marketed initially in the U.S. as a spread in two varieties, regular and light, and then as a dressing for salads and fresh vegetables.
In a recent study, leading community health organizations in Charlotte, N.C., Cleveland, OH, and Portland, OR, participated in an innovative program aimed at promoting healthy cholesterol levels. They reported achieving average reductions of LDL or "bad cholesterol" levels ranging from 10% to 15% in participants with elevated cholesterol levels. Participants saw reductions within two weeks of starting the four-week program.
However, you have to eat a lot of plant sterols to benefit. For example, to get the cholesterol- lowering effects of Benecol, the manufacturer says you should consume three pre-measured servings a day in place of the spread you currently use.
Take Control is similar product promoting its ability to reduce cholesterol levels. Both products, used on a regular basis, demonstrated a lower LDL or "bad" cholesterol while maintaining HDL ("good") cholesterol levels. Both must be used continuously; when test subjects stopped using the products, their cholesterol levels went back up, sometimes within a week.
Even with these benefits, both are still fat, mostly unhealthy fat, and a highly processed food. The less processed food you eat, the better. If it comes to a choice of margarines, then one of these may be the better choice. But you should keep in mind that good bread is delicious on its own, and you can improvise lots of healthier tasty toppings, such as a little seasoned, mashed avocado or a bit of olive oil.
The FDA has approved two cholesterol-lowering margarines, Johnson & Johnson's Benecol and Lipton's Take Control. Both manufacturers say their products work by blocking absorption of LDL, the "bad" cholesterol, when consumed as part of a diet that is otherwise low in fat. Both products are currently available in your grocery, usually next to the other margarines and butter.

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