| Health Mail Vol.1 Issue 3 | Title : New Type of Margarine | 1/1 |
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Tests have found that a new type of margarine containing plant sterols (a natural cholesterol lowering ingredient) can cut the level of harmful fats in the blood by 15% within 4 weeks. Flora pro-activ has just been launched in the UK, and doctors claim that it could replace drugs taken by some people to control high cholesterol level, one of the major risk factors in heart disease. Millions of Britons have high cholesterol levels caused by a diet full of saturated fats. High levels of 'bad' cholesterol called LDL [low-density lipoproteins], increase the risk of heart disease by helping to fur up the blood vessels in the artery walls. Patients using the spread daily experienced a reduction of 10 to 15% in LDL cholesterol, which could reduce the risk of coronary heart disease by up to a quarter. The amount of spread used by patients daily was enough spread to cover 4 slices of bread. To boost their diet by the same amount from grain and vegetable sources, they would need to eat 12 avocadoes or 4 loaves of wholemeal bread daily. The trials for the spread was carried out on 62 people aged between 33 and 62 who had high cholesterol levels. Half took the spread and the other half took the spread plus cholesterol lowering drugs called statins. Reductions in cholesterol were observed after four to eight weeks, whether the spread was used in addition to drugs or instead of medication. There was a 15% fall in cholesterol levels for most patients. It was stressed that Flora pro-activ was different from Benecol, a spread launched last year, which is derived from stanols in wood pulp, while Flora pro-activ uses sterols found in vegetable oils. For more information about the sterols and cholesterol: www.abc.net.au www.ars.usda.gov What does LDL and HDL stand for? Lipoproteins are called low-density lipoproteins (LDLs). They contain lots of cholesterol. Others are called high-density lipoproteins (HDLs). They contain mostly protein. |
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