June 2000 June 2000
Miracle Margarines Or High-Priced Spreads?
Lynda Zimmerman, zimmermanl@missouri.eduWho would have ever thought that eating margarine could lower your blood cholesterol? Now there are several new products that are being promoted as doing just that.
Benecol and Take Control were the first of such "functional foods" to hit the supermarket shelves. Their key ingredients are plant sterols, which are similar in structure to cholesterol. Your body mistakes them for cholesterol and tries to absorb them, but cannot do so. The effect: less cholesterol is absorbed into the bloodstream.
A study in Finland, where Benecol was first developed, showed that 102 people with elevated cholesterol (235 or above) who ate three pats of the spread daily for a year lowered their cholesterol by an average of 10 percent. This could have a significant impact on health: researchers estimate that each percentage point reduction in total blood cholesterol results in a 2-3 percent decrease in risk for heart disease.
What's more, research shows that these plant sterols lower LDL ("bad") cholesterol, without affecting HDL ("good") cholesterol. Generally, LDL should be less than 130 mg/dl and HDL should be greater than or equal to 45 mg/dl.
To get the maximum benefit, you must eat the recommended amount of the margarine every day. Benecol requires one pat (1.5 tsp.) three times a day. The daily dose for Take Control is similar: one to two tablespoons.
For some individuals, eating a tablespoon of one of these spreads at a meal may be a challenge -- after all, it's a hefty portion to put on a piece of toast. According to the Association of Margarine Manufacturers, Americans typically consume less than two teaspoons of margarine per day. To help with this problem, other food items -- salad dressings and snack bars -- are now available that also contain the same plant sterols.
As for taste, a test panel for Consumer Reports found that the new spreads were not noticeably different than other margarines. The tasters did notice differences in mouth feel, however. For example, they commented that Benecol had a waxy, "Crisco-like" texture.
The taste testers also made other observations: On warm toast, Benecol behaved more like regular margarine but never completely melted; Take Control turned toast damp and soggy.
The hardest thing for many folks to swallow, however, may be the price of these new products. Price checks at local grocers revealed that a 10-ounce tub of Benecol sells for $3.38; Take Control, $3.13. Quite a lot more than the same size package of name-brand margarine priced at $1.35. Granted, the new margarines are less expensive than cholesterol-lowering drugs, but they don't lower cholesterol levels as much either.
Contrary to what some people may believe, these products are not a "magic potion" that can simply be added to compensate for overall unhealthy eating habits. For one thing, the new margarines do not block the absorption of saturated fats, proven to have the biggest dietary influence on elevated blood cholesterol levels.
So should you try Benecol or Take Control? Could you discontinue your medication for one of these new margarines? Unfortunately, there are no definitive answers.
Not everyone who eats these new margarines sees such impressive results. And while it's possible that eating them might help you to avoid or cut back on medications, only your doctor can say for sure.
Sources: Medical Update, August 1999; Consumer Reports, September 1999; UC Berkely Wellness Letter, August 1999.
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