Vegapure®

Vegapure®, now marketed to U.S. consumers under the name Heart Choice™, is a branded, GRAS (generally recognized as safe) line of plant sterols and sterol esters from Cognis Nutrition & Health. Several clinical studies support the efficacy of Vegapure as a means to lower LDL cholesterol. One such study, a two-part, randomized, controlled, single blind trial, was conducted by researchers at the Baker Medical Research Institute in Melbourne, Australia.6 In part one, 22 hypercholesterolemic subjects were given foods, including breakfast cereal, bread and spreads, containing 2.4 g sterol esters (as Vegapure) and 2.4 g non-esterified plant stanols for three four-week test periods in a crossover design. In part two, 15 test subjects with high cholesterol were administered a daily serving of a 50-percent dairy fat spread formulated with or without 2.4 g sterol esters. The researchers monitored the effect of these interventions upon test subjects’ plasma concentrations of lipids, sterols, carotenoids and tocopherols. Individuals in part one who ate foods containing sterol esters had a 13.6-percent reduction in median LDL cholesterol; in part two, test subjects who used dairy spread without sterol esters had a 6.5 percent increase in median LDL cholesterol levels whereas those who consumed dairy spread with sterol esters experienced a 12.2 percent drop in these levels. Plasma carotenoids and tocopherols were not affected by plant sterol intake in both studies. The researchers concluded plant sterol esters and non-esterified stanols incorporated into low-fat foods contributed effectively to a reduction in LDL cholesterol; the LDL-raising effect of butter fat may be counteracted by sterol esters; and plasma carotenoids and tocopherols were not reduced.

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

The cholesterol-lowering effect of plant sterols may provide a means for hypercholesterolemic patients to reduce their use of statin drugs, according to a handful of recent studies. Researchers from University Hospital of Antwerp in Edegem, Belgium, treated 17 stable cardiac transplant recipients—16 of whom were on statin therapy—with margarine containing sterol and stanol esters.Total cholesterol in the treatment group was lowered by 17 percent, and LDL was reduced from 125 mg/dl to 98 mg/dl (a 22-percent reduction).8 Twelve patients were able to reduce their dosages of statin drugs; in eight of these 12 patients, LDL was still lowered at six weeks after statin reduction. A randomized, double blind multicenter study conducted by scientists at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney, Australia, found the addition of sterol-ester margarine to statin therapy offered LDL reduction equivalent to doubling the dose of statin.9 And a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found a portfolio of cholesterol-lowering foods (plant sterols [1.0 g/1,000 kcal], soy protein [21.4 g/1,000 kcal], viscous fibers [9.8 g/1,000 kcal], and almonds) was just as effective as the drug lovastatin in reducing cholesterol levels.10

The clinically proven efficacy of plant sterol esters in the reduction of serum cholesterol concentrations suggests significant potential for these beneficial lipids as functional foods capable of lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease.

1. Jones PJ et al. Am J Clin Nutr. 81, 6:1351-58, 2005. www.ajcn.org
2. Noakes M et al. Eur J Nutr. 44, 4:214-22, 2005. www.jstage.jst.go.jp
3. Andersson SW et al. Eur J Clin Nutr. 58, 10:1378-85, 2004. www.naturesj.com/ejcn
4. Salo P et al. Am J Cardiol. 4, 96(1A):51D-54D, 2005. www.elsevier.com
5. Song YH et al. Chem Pharm Bull (Tokyo). 52, 5:597-601, 2004. www.jstage.jst.go.jp
6. Nestel P et al. Eur J Clin Nutr. 55, 12:1084-90, 2001. www.naturesj.com/ejcn
7. Matvienko OA et al. Am J Clin Nutr. 76:57-64, 2002. www.ajcn.org
8. Vorlat A et al. J Heart Lung Transplant. 22, 9:1059-62, 2003. www.elsevier.com
9. Simons LA et al. Am J Cardiol. 90, 7:737-40, 2002. www.elsevier.com
10. Jenkins DJ et al. JAMA 290, 4:502-10, 2003. http://jama.ama-assn.org/

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