Margarine, long considered an evil foe in the battle to improve cholesterol levels, may now prove an ally. But read the labels. The trans fat in margarine can elevate cholesterol, so there remains good reason to stay away from many varieties. But some types of margarine also include plant sterols, a chemical that can fight cholesterol. In addition to some types of margarine, foods that may contain plant sterols include fortified yogurt, cereals, fruit juices, mayonnaise and breads.
How Plant Sterols Work
Plant sterols and food cholesterol -- found predominantly in animal products -- contain similar chemical structures. Saturated fats and other types of dietary cholesterol elevate the bad cholesterol -- low-density lipoprotein or LDL -- in your body. Plant sterols, on the other hand, compete with cholesterol. They can successfully prevent cholesterol from being absorbed into your bloodstream. Your body, because it needs cholesterol to make hormones, vitamin D and bile acids, searches your bloodstream for available cholesterol. Your body pulls cholesterol out of your bloodstream, lowering your levels.
Amount Needed
MayoClinic.com ranks plant sterols as one of the top five cholesterol-fighting foods. Other foods on the list include soluble-fiber foods such as oatmeal and bananas, fish high in omega-3 fatty acids such as salmon and sardines, olive oil, and nuts. MayoClinic.com recommends adding 2 g of plant sterols to your daily diet to obtain benefits. An analysis of 41 clinical trials found a positive correlation between taking plant sterols and lowering cholesterol, but that taking more than 2 g did not provide additional benefit, according to the review published in "Mayo Clinical Proceedings" in August 2002.
How Often to Take
Plant sterols may prove more effective in reducing cholesterol if taken in small amounts several times a day rather than in a single dose, according to Leslie Beck, a registered dietitian who writes for Canada's "The Globe and Mail." A study by Canadian researchers found that taking plant sterols once a day did not yield benefits. Suhad AbuMweis, a researcher at Canada's McGill University, led a study to test the effectiveness of plant sterols in margarine and other sources. Participants given 1 to 1.8 g of plant sterols once daily for four weeks did not experience an improvement in their cholesterol levels, according to the report published in the April 2006 issue of "Journal of Nutrition."
Considerations in Lowering Cholesterol
Plant sterols, though promising as a measure to reduce cholesterol, do not hold all the answers. A healthy diet remains important. Reduce your overall fat intake and especially limit your consumption of saturated fats and trans fat. MayoClinic.com recommends limiting saturated fats to 7 to 10 percent of your daily calories -- about 16 to 22 g daily. The American Heart Association advises you keep saturated fat to 7 percent of your daily calories. The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans advises that you restrict your intake of trans fat to 1 percent of your daily calories -- about 2 g. Your weight also plays a role in cholesterol. Losing weight through diet and exercise can both lower unhealthy cholesterol and raise healthy cholesterol in your body.
References
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Vitamins -- Dietary Health Habits
- "The Globe and Mail"; Eating Mayo to Lower Cholesterol? Not So Fast: Leslie Beck; June 2010
- MayoClinic.com: Cholesterol: Top 5 Foods to Lower Your Numbers
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Butter, Margarine and Cooking Oils
- "Journal of Nutrition"; Intake of a Single Morning Dose of Standard and Novel Plant Sterol Preparations for 4 Weeks Does Not Dramatically Affect Plasma Lipid Concentrations in Humans; Suhad AbuMweis, et al.; April 2006
- MayoClinic.com: High Cholesterol -- Lifestyle and Home Remedies
