| Disease | MODERATELY HYPERCHOLESTEROLAEMIC MEN(N=28) AND WOMEN(N=33) WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO TREATMENT WITH A STRICTLY CONTROLLED LIPID-LOWERING DIET PLUS A LOW-FAT STANOL ESTER-CONTAINING MARGARINE, TO THE IDENTICAL DIET PLUS A LOW-FAT CONTROL
MARGARINE WITHOUT STANOL ESTERS, OR TO THEIR USUAL DIET PLUS THE LOW-FAT STANOL ESTER MARGARINE (REFERENCE GROUP). THE CALCULATED INTAKE OF FAT IN THE TEST DIET CORRESPONDED 8% OF THE TOTAL ENERGY INPUT (8 E%) OF SATURATED FATTY ACID, 18 E% OF
MONOUNSATURATED FATTY ACID, 9 E% OF POLYUNSATURATED FATTY ACID, AND 240 MG.DAY-1 OF CHOLESTROL; THIS WAS IN CLOSE AGREEMENT WITH ANALYSED VALUES. THE EFFECT OF THE STANOL ESTER-CONTAINING MARGARINE ON SERUM TOTAL AND LOW-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN(LDL)
CHOLESTEROL WAS ADDITIVE WHEN GIVEN WITH THE LIPID-LOWERING DIET. COMBINED USE OF THE STANOL ESTER TEST MARGARINE AND THE LIPID-LOWERING DIET REDUCED SERUM TOTAL AND LDL CHOLESTEROL BY 15% AND 19%, RESPECTIVELY (BOTH P<0.001). THESE REDUCTIONS
WERE SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER THAN THOSE IN PATIENTS ON THE TEST DIET WITH THE CONTROL MARGARINE(-8% AND -12% FOR TOTAL AND LDL CHOLESTEROL; P=0.0035 AND P=0.0158, RESPECTIVELY), OR THOSE IN THE REFERENCE GROUP(-9% AND -12%, P=0.0059 AND P=0.0034
RESPECTIVELY). NO CLINICALLY SIGNIFICANT EFFECTS WERE OBSERVED ON SERUM LEVELS OF LIPID-SOLUBLE VITAMINS OR ANTIOXIDANTS. NO ADVERSE EFFECTS WERE REPORTED. DIETARY PLANT STANOL ESTERS SEEM TO BE SAFE AND EFFECTIVE DIETARY TOOL AS PART OF A
CHOLESTROL-LOWERING DIET, TO LOWER ELEVATED CHOLESTEROL LEVELS ALSO ON A POPULATION BASIS. LOW-FAT DIET, HYPERCHOLESTEROLAEMIA, MARGARINE, STANO ESTERS. |