Spreads enriched with plant sterols, either esterified 4,4-dimethylsterolsor free 4-desmethylsterols, and plasma total- and LDL-cholesterol concentrations

In a 9-week study seventy-six healthy adult volunteers with an. average age of 44 (SD 11) years, with baseline plasma total cholesterol levels below 8 mmol/l, received in a balanced, double-blind, crossover design, a total of three different table spreads for personal use. Two spreads were fortified either with free (non-esterified) vegetable-oil sterols, mainly from soyab ean oil (31 g sterol equivalents/kg; 0.8 g/d) or sheanut-oil sterols (133 g sterol equivalents/kg; 3.3 g/d). One spread was not fortified (control). A verage intake of spread was 25 g/d for 3 weeks. None of the spreads induced changes in blood clinical chemistry or haematology. Plasma total- and LDL- cholesterol concentrations were statistically significantly reduced by 3.8 Sb and 6% (both 0.19 mmol/l) respectively, for the spread enriched with fre e soyabean-oil sterols compared with the control spread. The spread enriche d with sheanut-oil sterols did not lower plasma total- and LDL-cholesterol levels. None of the plant-sterol-enriched spreads affected plasma HDL-chole sterol concentrations. Plasma-lipid-standardized concentrations of alpha-pl us beta-carotene were not statistically significantly affected by the soyab ean-oil sterol spread in contrast to lipid-standardized plasma lycopene lev els which showed a statistically significant decrease (95%). These findings indicate that a daily intake of free soyabean-oil sterols as low as 0.8 g added to a spread is effective in lowering blood. total- and LDL-choPestero l levels with limited effects on blood carotenoid levels. The lowering in t otal- and LDL-cholesterol blood levels due to consumption of the vegetable- oil-sterol-enriched spread may he helpful in reducing the risk of CHD for t he population.