Kao, Japanese NIHN Find Cholesterol-Lowering Oil

Kao, Japanese NIHN Find Cholesterol-Lowering Oil

TOKYO--Kao Corp., based here, and the state-run National Institute of Healthand Nutrition (NIHN), announced in November that it found a method to give foodoil the benefit of reducing the density of cholesterol in human blood. Theresearchers combined phytosterols with a diacylglycerol (an extracted fat fromsoybeans and rapeseed) that has been processed with an enzyme.

Kao and NIHN tested 71 participants with blood cholesterol over 220 mg perdeciliter. After one month, the density of cholesterol in the blood of 26subjects dropped an average of 7.1 percent, according to Kao. In addition, theLDL ("bad" cholesterol) in 23 subjects decreased 8.4 percent. On Dec.12, the company reported that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave GRAS(generally recognized as safe) status to diacylglycerol. For additionalinformation, visit www.kao.co.jp/e.