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Cholesterol-Lowering Efficacy of Plant Sterols in Low-Fat Yogurt Consumed as a Snack or with a Meal

School of Dietetics and Human Nutrition, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec (I.R, S.S.AM.)
Richardson Centre for Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals, Winnipeg, Manitoba (P.J.H.J.)
CANADA, Danone Research, Palaiseau Cedex (C.N.), FRANCE

Address correspondence to: Peter J.H. Jones, Ph.D., Richardson Centre for Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals, Departments of Food Science and Human Nutritional Sciences, 196 Innovation Drive, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3T 6C5 CANADA. E-mail: peter_jones{at}umanitoba.ca

Objective: Plant sterols (PS) consumed as a snack may not have the same cholesterol-lowering potential as when consumed with a meal due to poor solubilization. It was hypothesized that the consumption of a single dose, low-fat yogurt rich in PS (1.6 g/d) with a meal over an afternoon snack will lead to favourable changes in plasma lipids, plasma PS concentrations, and cholesterol synthesis without negatively affecting -tocopherol or carotenoids levels.

Methods: Twenty-six hyperlipidemic males and females completed the randomized trial of three phases (control, single PS dose consumed with a meal, or single PS dose as an afternoon snack) while consuming controlled, low-fat diets. Plasma lipids, cholesterol synthesis rates, plasma PS and serum fat-soluble antioxidants were measured at baseline and after 4 weeks.

Results: Endpoint total cholesterol (TC) levels after the PS snack phase were decreased (p = 0.04) (5.30 ± 0.2 mmol/L) compared to the control phase (5.53 ± 0.2 mmol/L). However, endpoints for TC (5.37 ± 0.2 mmol/L) for PS dose with a meal were comparable to control phase. Low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol tended to be different (p = 0.06) at the end of the intervention phases (3.51 ± 0.1, 3.43 ± 0.1, and 3.33 ± 0.1 mmol/L; control, meal and snack, respectively). Cholesterol fractional synthesis rates were higher (p = 0.007) by 25.8% and 19.5% at the end of the snack and meal phases, respectively, compared with the control phase. Plasma campesterol and β-sitosterol concentrations, adjusted for TC, were higher (p < 0.01) in the snack phase (2.30 ± 0.3 and 0.54 ± 0.1 µmol/mmol, respectively) and in the meal phase (2.00 ± 0.3 and 0.51 ± 0.1 µmol/mmol, respectively) when compared to the control phase (1.81 ± 0.3 and 0.40 ± 0.1 µmol/mmol, respectively). No changes in -tocopherol or carotenoids levels were detected after adjusting for TC, for all phases.

Conclusion: These results indicate that a single dose of PS in low-fat yogurt, provided as a snack, lowers cholesterol levels but does not alter fat-soluble vitamin or carotenoid concentrations in hyperlipidemic participants.

Key words: cholesterol synthesis, low-fat yogurt, plant sterols, snack, total cholesterol

Abbreviations: BMI = body mass index • D = deuterium • FSR = cholesterol fractional synthesis rate • GC = gas chromatography • HDL-C = high-density lipoprotein cholesterol • HPLC = high-performance liquid chromatography • LDL-C = low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol • MECNRU = Mary Emily Clinical Nutrition Research Unit • NCEP = National Heart, Lung, and Blood Association's National Cholesterol Education Program • PS = plant sterols • RBC = red blood cells • TC = total cholesterol • TG = triglycerides