Dietary solution

Therapeutic lifestyle changes are the cornerstone in decreasing the risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD), the major cause of premature death worldwide [1]. For many patients therapeutic lifestyle changes (TLC), such as losing weight, exercising, stopping smoking and lowering blood pressure, are hard to achieve quickly. A heart-healthy diet, one high in dietary fiber but low in saturated fat and cholesterol, is one of the effective means to lower the risk. However, the changes in the diet are often challenging to maintain and often the blood cholesterol target levels are not reached with ordinary dietary changes alone.

An effective and easy solution to lower cholesterol is adding Plant stanol ester containing Benecol foodproducts to the diet. Plant stanol ester is the exclusive cholesterol lowering food ingredient.

Clinically proven and recommended
More than 60 clinical studies show that Benecol products containing Plant stanol ester are safe and effectively lower levels of both total and LDL cholesterol. Several international guidelines recommend the use of foods enriched with Plant stanol ester as part of dietary therapy for elevated blood cholesterol. The relationship between reduction in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and a reduced risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) has been shown [2] to be nearly linear. For every 1% reduction in LDL cholesterol concentration, there is a corresponding 1-2% decrease in the risk of CHD.
Health claim obtained in EU
Plant stanol ester was among the first ingredients to obtain the disease risk reduction health claim by the European Commission in 2009.

Plant stanol ester has been shown to lower blood cholesterol. High cholesterol is a risk factor in the Development of Coronary Heart Disease.

The health claim requires evidence accepted by the scientific community, and it has also had GRAS designation (Generally recognized as safe) by the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) since 1999.

Benecol is a part of heart-healthy lifestyle

2 grams daily - up to 14% cholesterol reduction

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Daily consumption of 2 g of plant stanols (as Plant stanol ester) is proven to reduce LDL cholesterol up to 14 % and total serum cholesterol by up to 10 % [3]. Many Benecol products, like the yoghurt drinks, contain the recommended daily intake and thus making them a convenient way to add Plant stanol ester to the ordinary diet.

Fast and sustained cholesterol reduction

The benefits of adding Plant stanol ester products into the ordinary diet can be seen even in two weeks. But most importantly, the effectiveness is maintained when Benecol products are consumed continuously on a daily basis.

Use daily as a part of a meal

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The effectiveness of Benecol products remains the same whether the daily 2 gram plant stanol (as Plant stanol ester) intake is consumed at once (e.g. in a yoghurt drink) or is divided into several portions (e.g. in spread) [4]. However, the optimal cholesterol lowering effect is achieved when Benecol products are used as a part of a meal.

Effective in any diet

HCP_I_accord _effective Benecol products containing plant stanol ester are effective in cholesterol lowering regardless of the type of the diet they are added to. The effect is of a similar magnitude irrespective of the fat content or quality of the background diet or if the dietary cholesterol intake is high or low. Effectiveness has been proven by the clinical studies conducted in Europe, Americas and Asia.

When cholesterol levels are only mildly elevated, adding Benecol products to the diet is often sufficient for cholesterol lowering. According to a clinical study [5], 80% of mildly hypercholesterolemic individuals achieved the total cholesterol target level (NCEP guideline: <200 mg/dl, <5.2mmol/l) simply by including Plant stanol ester enriched Benecol spread in their daily diet. But importantly, Plant stanol ester also adds to the effect of other healthy dietary changes.

Safe to use – even in high intakes

Plant stanol ester has gone through extensive efficacy, safety and toxicology testing. Over 60 published clinical studies, assessments conducted by food authorities, and the long experience of Benecol products on the market verify the safety of Plant stanol ester. The consumption is shown to be well-tolerated and no side-effects have been reported even at high doses.

Plant stanol ester has been evaluated and declared safe by food authorities in number of countries including:

EU (Scientific Committee on Foods)
USA, GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) status by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Japan, FOSHU (TOKUHO) status
China, New Resource Food approval
Russia, Certificate of state registration

Plant stanols are practically unabsorbed, and are effectively excreted from the body. Levels of plant stanols in the blood remain very low even after continuous long-term use of Benecol products, but also when the daily intake of plant stanols exceeds the currently recommenced 2 grams per day (up to 9 gram per day) as showed by the most recent clinical data [6], [7].

Even though plant stanol is also found to be safe in children, an ordinary healthy diet is sufficient for them except for patients with familial hypercholesterolemia and thus Plant stanol ester is not generally recommended for healthy children younger than five years old.

Significantly better maximal efficacy

The most recent studies [6], [7] show that the efficacy of Plant stanol ester is dose dependent. When increasing the daily Plant stanol ester dose up to 9 grams, average LDL cholesterol level was reduced even by over 17%. Also the higher doses of Plant stanol ester have been consumed safely without adverse effects.

On the top of that, a meta-analysis done by Musa-Veloso et al. 2011 [8] showed not only the dose dependent cholesterol lowering effect, but that the maximal LDL cholesterol efficacy of Plant stanol ester was significantly greater compared with plant sterol ester when the daily intake was between 3 and 9 grams. This was because the similar linear dose-responsiveness was not found with plant sterol. Because both efficacy and safety of Plant stanol ester are well documented, Benecol can be confidently recommended to the consumers as the most effective food ingredient to lower their cholesterol.

Benecol products available in over 30 countries

Plant stanol ester is the proven cholesterol lowering food ingredient patented globally by Raisio. Benecol® is a global trademark for Plant stanol ester enriched foods. The first Benecol product, margarine, was introduced already in 1995 in Finland. Now the range of products is wide and Benecol products are available in over 30 countries worldwide. They are manufactured, marketed and sold by local, well-known food companies, and are tailored to the local tastes. All Benecol-labeled products contain enough Plant stanol ester to lower cholesterol. This effect occurs when the product is consumed as instructed on the package on a daily basis.

In general, Benecol products comply with the nutritional recommendations and requirements. They are good for the heart thanks to their low fat content and an optimal nutritional fatty acid profile and thus they allow consumers to follow a heart-friendly diet.

Although, in chemical terms, plant stanol ester is a fat, it can be added to many low-fat foods. Benecol food applications can vary from high-fat margarines to dairy and cereal foods in which plant stanol ester is the only source of fat in the product.