NCEP Recommends Plant Sterol/Stanol Esters

NCEP Recommends Plant Sterol/Stanol Esters

WASHINGTON--On May 15, The National Institutes of Health's National Cholesterol Education Program(NCEP)(http://hin.nhlbi.nih.gov/ncep.htm)announced that it had included for the first time in its revised guidelines forlowering cholesterol and the risk for heart disease the recommendation ofconsuming plant stanol and sterol esters. Incorporated under a new sectionentitled, "Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes," this change is good news tocompanies such as McNeil Consumer Healthcare, a subsidiary of Johnson &Johnson and maker of Benecol Spread. In relation to its plant sterol/stanolester content, the company will be releasing this summer a new package printedwith the Food and Drug Administration's health claim for these esters.