{"id":1006,"date":"2012-02-10T07:46:50","date_gmt":"2012-02-10T07:46:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/personalpolishing.wordpress.com\/?p=1006"},"modified":"2012-02-10T07:46:50","modified_gmt":"2012-02-10T07:46:50","slug":"how-low-should-your-ldl-go","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/how-low-should-your-ldl-go\/","title":{"rendered":"How Low Should Your LDL Go?"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Carole Jackson<\/strong>, Bottom Line Health<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

“Keep your LDL cholesterol low” is practically a medical mantra now. It\u00e2\u0080\u0099s a greater struggle for some folks than for others — some people are able to achieve a desirable level with little or no effort, while others accomplish it by taking statin drugs. A new tool for lowering LDL emerged about 10 years ago when margarines with plant compounds called phytosterols<\/em> — known to inhibit absorption of LDL cholesterol in the intestines — started cropping up in supermarkets. Could these be the ideal solution?<\/p>\n

Better than Statins?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Phytosterols (as well as phytostanols<\/em>, a subgroup of phytosterols) exist naturally in some vegetable oils, but in amounts too low to affect our cholesterol levels. Once extracted from these oils, however, they become a food additive or supplement that can deliver quite a cholesterol-lowering punch. Indeed, studies showed that consuming about two to three grams of phytosterols a day (you get this from about four to six tablespoons of the margarine) lowers total cholesterol by up to about 10% and LDL by up to about 14%.<\/p>\n

Research had examined the effects of ingesting just two to three grams of phytosterols a day… but what would happen if you doubled or even tripled that intake? It\u00e2\u0080\u0099s known that statin drugs work to only a certain point — they have what\u00e2\u0080\u0099s known as a “leveling off” effect, which means that there is a diminishing effect — doubling the dose won\u00e2\u0080\u0099t double the result. Does this happen with phytosterols, too?<\/p>\n

Recently, a Dutch scientist, Ronald Mensink, MSc, PhD, professor of molecular nutrition in the department of human biology at Maastricht University Medical Centre in The Netherlands, conducted a three-week study to answer that question, using the type of phytosterol called phytostanols.<\/p>\n

Ninety-three people with mildly elevated LDL cholesterol were divided into four groups — consuming no stanols or three, six or nine grams daily. Results:<\/em> The more stanols people ate, the lower their LDL dropped. The three-gram group had a 7.4% decrease on average… the six-gram group showed an 11.9% decrease… those consuming nine grams of stanols per day decreased LDL by an average of 17.4%. No adverse effects were found in any of the groups.<\/p>\n

But Dr. Mensink urged caution despite the impressive findings — he said that more research is needed before advising any consumption increase, since we don\u00e2\u0080\u0099t yet have data on the long-term safety of consuming higher levels of sterols.<\/p>\n

Dr. Rubman\u00e2\u0080\u0099s Advice<\/strong><\/p>\n

When I checked in with Daily Health News<\/em> medical editor Andrew L. Rubman, ND, he agreed that phytosterols — in the form of supplements or food additives — may be helpful. Echoing Dr. Mensink\u00e2\u0080\u0099s cautionary note, he said…<\/p>\n