Safety aspects and cholesterol-lowering efficacy of low fat dairy products containing plant sterols

• Published in: European journal of clinical nutrition 2006-05, Vol.60 (5), p.633-642
• Main Authors: Korpela, R, Tuomilehto, J, Högström, P, Seppo, L, Piironen, V, Salo-Väänänen, P, Toivo, J, Lamberg-Allardt, C, Kärkkäinen, M, Outila, T
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: adverse effects; Anticholesteremic Agents - therapeutic use; Apolipoprotein E; Apolipoproteins E - genetics; Biological and medical sciences; blood lipids; blood serum; Cheese; Cholesterol; Cholesterol - blood; Cholesterol, HDL - blood; Cholesterol, LDL - blood; Clinical Nutrition; Clinical trials; Dairy products; Dairy Products - analysis; Density; diet; diet-related diseases; dietary supplements; Disorders of blood lipids. Hyperlipoproteinemia; Double-Blind Method; Epidemiology; experimental diets; fat soluble vitamins; Female; Food, Fortified; fresh cheeses; High density lipoprotein; human diseases; human nutrition; Humans; Hypercholesterolemia; Hypercholesterolemia - blood; Hypercholesterolemia - diet therapy; Internal Medicine; Lipid Metabolism - drug effects; Low density lipoprotein; Low fat; low fat cheeses; low fat dairy products; Male; Medical sciences; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Metabolic Diseases; Middle Aged; Mixtures; Nutrition; original-article; Phenotype; Phenotypes; phytosterols; Phytosterols - adverse effects; Phytosterols - therapeutic use; Product safety; Public Health; Safety; Side effects; Steroids; Sterols; triacylglycerols; Triglycerides; Triglycerides - blood; Vitamin A - blood; vitamin content; Vitamin D - blood; Vitamin K - blood; Vitamins - blood; yogurt
• ISSN: 0954-3007; 1476-5640
• DOI: 10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602362

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate whether a plant sterol mixture would reduce serum cholesterol when added to low fat dairy products in subjects with hypercholesterolaemia, and to examine the effects of the mixture on the serum plant sterol and fat-soluble vitamin levels. Design: A parallel, double-blind study. Setting: The study was performed in three different locations in Finland. Subjects: In total, 164 mildly or moderately hypercholesterolaemic subjects participated in the study. Methods: The subjects were randomly divided into two groups: a plant sterol group and a control group. The subjects consumed the products for 6 weeks after a 3-week run-in period. The targeted plant sterol intake was 2 g/day in the sterol group. Results: During the treatment period, there was a 6.5% reduction in serum total cholesterol in the sterol group while no change was observed in the control group (P