Do you screw your nose up at the suggestion of Statins?
You may be surprised to know that you can lower your low-density lipoproteins or ‘bad cholesterol’ with cost-effective and easily accessible products from the supermarket.
Cue, plant sterols!
Plant sterols (phytosterols, phytostanols, and their fatty acid esters) are cholesterol-like substances that occur naturally at low levels in fruits, vegetables, nuts, and cereals.
Most Australians consume between 150 and 360 milligrams of plant sterols naturally every day, depending on their diet. When eaten in higher amounts, between 2-3 grams per day, plant sterols can naturally reduce LDL cholesterol by inhibiting LDL absorption.
Consuming 2-3g of plant sterols daily is not achievable without therapeutic foods. Available in Australian supermarkets are several options to achieve this dose.
Taking into consideration the dose of plant sterols and cost, most patients choose fortified spreads or Weet-Bix. Unfortunately, Heart Active milk is the most expensive and provides the smallest dose.
See below the fasting types of blood from a patient who took two Cholesterol-Lowering Weet-Bix with fat-reduced milk daily. LDL cholesterol was reduced by 27% in 8 weeks. Of course, we would like to see their LDL cholesterol further. However, this is a great achievement without the addition of Statins. Food for thought.
Get in touch with your local Sports & Spinal Dietitian today to find out more about how they can help you to lower your cholesterol.