Food fortification with plant sterol/stanol for hyperlipidemia: management in free-living populations.

摘要

Effective dietary therapy aimed at reducing hypercholesterolaemia is required for prevention of heart disease morbidity and mortality. Fortification of different food products such as low-fat milk, yoghurt, bread and cereal with plant sterols has been shown to alter the cholesterol-lowering effect of these sterols while still achieving substantial reductions in serum total and LDL cholesterol levels. These findings support recommendations for varying dietary choices to incorporate sterol/stanol esters. With up to 2 g/day of stanol/sterol-enriched foods, intestinal absorption of cholesterol is seen to be reduced, thus lowering serum total and LDL cholesterol by about 10% to 15%. This usually occurs without influencing HDL cholesterol or triglyceride concentrations. Cost-effective and commercially available sterol/stanol food items such as margarine need to be identified for use as an adjunct to nutritional intervention in the prevention of heart disease.