Vegapure®

Vegapure®

Plant sterols, or phytosterols, are fatty compounds found naturally inplants. Structurally similar to human cholesterol, plant sterols lower serum totalcholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol concentrations1,2,3without affecting serum high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol or triglyceride levels.4,5 By modifying the structure of plant sterols to produce sterol esters, thesebeneficial fats can be incorporated into functional foods designed to help keepLDL levels in check. Due to their potential to lower LDL, consumption of sterol esters is endorsedby the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which permits food label claims onthe association between plant sterol esters and reduced risk of coronary heartdisease (CHD).

Vegapure®, now marketed to U.S.consumers under the name Heart Choice, is a branded, GRAS (generallyrecognized as safe) line of plant sterols and sterol esters from CognisNutrition & Health. Several clinical studies support the efficacy ofVegapure as a means to lower LDL cholesterol. One such study, a two-part, randomized, controlled, singleblind trial, was conducted by researchers at the Baker Medical ResearchInstitute in Melbourne, Australia.6 In part one, 22 hypercholesterolemic subjects were given foods, includingbreakfast cereal, bread and spreads, containing 2.4 g sterol esters (asVegapure) and 2.4 g non-esterified plant stanols for three four-week testperiods in a crossover design. In part two, 15 test subjects with highcholesterol were administered a daily serving of a 50-percent dairy fat spreadformulated with or without 2.4 g sterol esters. The researchers monitored theeffect of these interventions upon test subjects plasma concentrations oflipids, sterols, carotenoids and tocopherols. Individuals in part one who atefoods containing sterol esters had a 13.6-percent reduction in median LDLcholesterol; in part two, test subjects who used dairy spread without sterolesters had a 6.5 percent increase in median LDL cholesterol levels whereasthose who consumed dairy spread with sterol esters experienced a 12.2 percentdrop in these levels. Plasma carotenoids and tocopherols were not affected byplant sterol intake in both studies. The researchers concluded plant sterolesters and non-esterified stanols incorporated into low-fat foods contributedeffectively to a reduction in LDL cholesterol; the LDL-raising effect of butterfat may be counteracted by sterol esters; and plasma carotenoids and tocopherolswere not reduced.

Another study involving phytosterols also found consumption ofVegapure (2.7 g, added to ground beef) lowered plasma total TC and LDLconcentrations.7 Researchers from Iowa State University, Ames, administered beeffortified with phytosterols daily to mildly hypercholesterolemic young men(n=34) in a triple blind, four-week format. Test subjects given beef with phytosterols experiencedreductions in plasma TC, LDL, and the ratio between TC and HDL cholesterol frombaseline by 9.3 percent, 14.6 percent and 9.1 percent respectively. LDL particlesize did not change, suggesting the decrease was of particle number. Thedecreases were similar in subjects with (n=8) and without (n=9) a family historyof premature cardiovascular disease. No significant changes were found in thecontrol group.

The cholesterol-lowering effect of plant sterols may provide ameans for hypercholesterolemic patients to reduce their use of statin drugs,according to a handful of recent studies. Researchers from University Hospitalof Antwerp in Edegem, Belgium, treated 17 stable cardiac transplant recipients16of whom were on statin therapywith margarine containing sterol and stanolesters.Total cholesterol in the treatment group was lowered by 17 percent, andLDL was reduced from 125 mg/dl to 98 mg/dl (a 22-percent reduction).8 Twelve patients were able to reducetheir dosages of statin drugs; in eight of these 12 patients, LDL was stilllowered at six weeks after statin reduction. A randomized, double blindmulticenter study conducted by scientists at St. Vincents Hospital in Sydney,Australia, found the addition of sterol-ester margarine to statin therapyoffered LDL reduction equivalent to doubling the dose of statin.9 And a study inthe Journal of the American Medical Association founda portfolio of cholesterol-lowering foods (plant sterols [1.0 g/1,000 kcal], soyprotein [21.4 g/1,000 kcal], viscous fibers [9.8 g/1,000 kcal], and almonds) wasjust as effective as the drug lovastatin in reducing cholesterol levels.10

The clinically proven efficacy of plant sterol esters in thereduction of serum cholesterol concentrations suggests significant potential forthese beneficial lipids as functional foods capable of lowering the risk ofcardiovascular disease.

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