VITAL NEWS
Plant Power
Sterols can help block your absorption of "bad" cholesterol. Here's how to get more of the plant-based nutrient in your diet.
Laura V. Anderson
9/2007
9/2007
Taking two grams of plant sterols per day can help lower your risk of heart disease according to new research by the National Cholesterol Education Program. The sterols-which block absorption of harmful LDL cholesterol-are found in whole grains, nuts, seeds, and fruits and vegetables, but it's difficult to get the recommended dose from food sources alone. (Read: You'd need to eat 70 slices of whole wheat bread or more than 400 tomatoes.) The alternative? Sterol-fortified foods, which have started hitting grocery store shelves in healthful, low-fat products in recent years and have proven effective in lowering LDL.
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Food makers have long been adding sterols to products like margarine and salad dressing (fat aids sterol absorption), but they have only recently started including them in staples like bread and milk. Research into the new products has already shown encouraging results. A 2004 study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition compared the cholesterol-lowering power of sterol-enriched milk, yogurt, bread, and cereal in 58 women and men, and found the milk and yogurt most effective at reducing cholesterol levels: Two grams of sterols from these foods lowered LDL levels by 16 and 9 percent, respectively, after a three-week trial period. (Sterol-rich bread produced a drop of 7 percent; cereal, 5 percent.)
Still, adding sterols to your diet is often not enough to protect heart health, says Marion Nestle, Ph.D., professor of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health at New York University and author of What to Eat (North Point Press, 2006). "Lowering your cholesterol also requires a healthy diet low in saturated fats and high in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, along with regular exercise," she says. Doctors may prescribe statins for people with very high cholesterol, and eating sterol-enriched foods may help and certainly won't hurt, adds Nestle. To get started, try a mix of fortified foods like Unilever's Promise Activ Supershots yogurt drink (two grams of plant sterols per serving; promisehealthyheart.com) or Nature Valley Healthy Heart Chewy Granola Bars (about half a gram per serving; naturevalley.com) and natural sources. Foods highest in sterols include pumpkin, sesame, and sunflower seeds, almonds, rye bread, and Brussels sprouts.
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