Plant SterolsRoles in Margarines

Pennington Biomedical Research Center

Division of EducationHeli J. Roy PhD

Shanna Lundy, BSPhillip Brantley, PhD, Director

20052

Phytochemicals, or “plant chemicals,” have been studied recently in an effort to explain why the consumption of fruits and vegetables may help prevent coronary heart disease

Of the three types of phytochemicals, namely plant sterols, flavonoids, and plant sulfur compounds, only plant sterols have been incorporated into margarine spreads

Overview…

20053

Plant sterols are naturally occurring components of plant cell membranes just as cholesterol is a part of animal cell membranes

The three most abundant sterols are: Beta-sitosterol Campesterol stigmasterol

Plant Sterols

Cell membrane

20054

It was recognized in the 1950s that plant sterols lowered serum concentrations of cholesterol

Their chemical appearance is rather similar to cholesterol, but they are not found in any significant abundance in eukaryotic cells

Plant sterols and their derivatives act in the small bowel by competitively inhibiting intestinal absorption of cholesterol

Plant Sterols

Thus lower serum concentrations of cholesterol are observed

20055

A meta-analysis of 18 clinical trials supporting the efficacy of action of spreads containing plant sterols and stanols suggests that regular consumption of 2 g per day of these materials, compared with margarine alone, lowers LDL cholesterol concentrations by at least:

• 0.5 mmol/L for individuals aged 50-59 years• And 0.4 mmol/L for individuals aged 40-49 years

At this level of LDL lowering, a reduction in heart disease risk of 25% would be expected in the populations!

Benefits

Larger than the effect that could be expected to be achieved by people reducing their intake of saturated fat!

20056

Take Control and Benecol

Margarine-like spreads that have recently been authorized by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to include cholesterol lowering claims on their labels

Both are available in the dairy case of your local supermarket

The FDA authorizes the claims based on the evidence that the plant sterol and stanol esters in these products may help lower LDL cholesterol, without effecting HDL, reducing the risk of coronary heart disease in some individuals

20057

Yes, however research indicates that both of the cholesterol-lowering margarines work equally well

Benecol is composed of plant stanols, which are hydrogenated forms of plant sterols

This type of margarine is synthetically produced as plant stanols exist only in small quantities in nature

Take Control contains unprocessed plant sterols, which are abundantly available

Any Difference in Take Control and Benecol?

20058

Benecol

The key ingredient in Benecol is a plant stanol ester,derived from pine trees

Been shown to have a cholesterol lowering effect by reducing absorption

Benecol

20059

The effective daily dose of Benecol is 1.5 tablespoons a day eaten in three servings of 1.5 teaspoons

Unlike Take Control, the Benecol regular spread can be used for cooking and baking

However, Benecol light is not recommended for cooking

Benecol

200510

Uses unmodified plant sterols extracted from soybeans as its active ingredient

The plant sterols inhibit cholesterol absorption in the small intestine, lowering blood cholesterol levels

Take Control

200511

Recommendations include using one tablespoon of Take Control as a spread twice a day as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol

Contains 50 calories per tablespoon, which is half of that found in regular margarine

Cannot be used for cooking if the cholesterol-fighting effect of the margarine is hoped to be maintained because the plant sterols break down when heated

Take Control

200512

1.5 tablespoons of Benecol contains 120 kcal, 13.5 g of fat, and 1.5 g saturated fat

1.5 tablespoons of Take Control contains 75 kcal, 9 g fat, and 1.5 g saturated fat

Information.

200513

Cost is $5.00 per 8 oz. Tub Cost is $4.00 per 12 oz. tub

Cost

Benecol Take Control

200514

The most important concern about plant sterols is that they reduce the absorption of some fat soluble vitamins

Randomized trials have shown that plant sterols and stanols have lowered blood concentrations of beta carotene, alpha carotene, and vitamin E by 25, 10, and 8%, respectively

Since these vitamins protect LDL cholesterol from oxidation, a good recommendation would be to consume more fruit and vegetables to counter the decrease in absorption

Safety?

200515

Future Areas of Research…

Include possible inverse links between plant sterol consumption (beta-sitosterol) and cancer risk Compared with a cholesterol control, beta-sitosterol provided

to LNCaP cells, a human prostate cancer cell line, retarded cell growth rate by 24%

Because prostate cancer occurs worldwide and is the second main cause of cancer-related death in men, future work will undoubtedly be focused in this area

200516

Sites…

http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/320/7238/861 http://cats.med.uvm.edu/cats_teachingmod/family_practice/

modules/nutrition/margarines/margarines.html http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/content/full/166/12/1555 http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/columnnn/nn001226.html