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Plant Sterols – Are the benefits worth the cost?
What are Plant Sterols – In a nut shell
Plant sterols are substances found naturally in foods such as fruits, vegetables, nuts and cereals. When eaten in sufficient amounts, they have the ability to lower LDL (or bad) cholesterol. To obtain this effect, we would require approximately 2-3 grams per day. Unfortunately, in the average Australian diet, we only get about 150-360mg of naturally occurring plant sterols each day. This is why Food Standards Australia and new Zealand now allow manufacturers to purposefully add plant sterols to a small range of foods, including table spreads, low fat milk and yoghurt and some cheese and breakfast cereals.
Are Plant Sterols safe?
Plant sterols are safe for most people to consume. Even if you are currently on cholesterol lowering medication, eating plant sterol enriched foods is still safe. There have been no adverse effects of eating plant sterols documented in pregnant and lactating women or children. However, it is not recommended to give children plant sterol enriched foods unless advised by a doctor. In addition, there is no added benefit in consuming in excess of 2-3g of plant sterols each day.
Are Plant Sterol containing foods low or high in fat?
It may seem a little contradicting that eating margarines or butters can actually help to lower your cholesterol. Health authorities have been saying for years that eating less fat helps lower cholesterol and is good for health. Although plant sterol spreads do still contain large amounts of fat, they contain predominantly polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat, instead of large amounts of saturated fats. Plus they have the added benefits of the plant sterols. It is still however, recommended to consume these products in small amounts.
As for dairy products, most plant sterol enriched versions on the market are low fat products. KRAFT liveactive plant sterol enriched cheese is very low in fat compared to regular cheeses on the market. A 41g serve of KRAFT liveactive (which provides you with the recommended 2g of plant sterols daily) contains 4.4g fat, compared to regular low fat cheeses that contain approximately 10g fat per 41gram serve.
What are the costs?
The cost of plant sterol enriched products is certainly more than their normal counterparts.
For example, 99% fat free plant sterol enriched milk is approximately $2.93 per litre. In comparison, regular Hilo brand milk prices range from $1.52 - $1.82 per litre.
The plant sterol spreads show a much greater price increase than other spreads. A popular plant sterol enriched spread costs approximately $1.91 per 100g. In comparison, other polyunsaturated spreads range from $0.54-$0.73 per 100g.
Do the benefits outweigh the added cost?
It would be hard to give an absolute yes or no answer to this question. So lets put it this way….
Yes
Plant sterol enriched products have been proven to lower LDL cholesterol levels in many studies. There are no risks associated with their use, and if they can help prevent or delay the need to take cholesterol lowering medication, then they are certainly worth a try. It is possible that as these products become more widely used, and more plant sterol enriched products become available, the cost of these products will decrease.
No
Like all cholesterol lowering products, plant sterol enriched products are not a definite fix to high cholesterol problems. By just consuming plant sterol products (or just taking cholesterol lowering medications for that matter) and continuing with an unhealthy lifestyle, the effects will not be as great. It is still important to make small changes to your lifestyle in order to maintain lower cholesterol levels in the long term. This includes;
• Quit smoking
• Have a healthy body weight
• Choose whole grain breads, cereals, rice and pasta
• Eat a variety of fruit and vegetables every day
• Choose lean meat and reduced fat dairy products
• Consume oily fish on a weekly basis
• Limit cholesterol rich foods
• Limit alcohol consumption and have as many alcohol free days per week as possible
Added to site on : Saturday, 12 November 2011