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Effects of low-fat hard cheese enriched with plant stanol esters on serum lipids and apolipoprotein B in mildly hypercholesterolaemic subjects

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 60, pages 1253–1257 (2006)Cite this article

Abstract

Objective:

To investigate the cholesterol-lowering effects of a low-fat cheese enriched with plant stanol esters in mildly hypercholesterolaemic subjects, as part of their normal diet.

Design:

A randomized double-blind parallel-group study.

Setting:

Valio Ltd, Helsinki.

Subjects:

Sixty-seven mildly hypercholesterolaemic volunteers (24 men, 43 women) participated in the study, which all of them completed.

Interventions:

The subjects were randomly assigned to the plant stanol ester group or the control group. During the 5-week intervention, the subjects in the stanol group consumed a cheese enriched with 2 g of plant stanols per day, and the subjects in the control group, a control cheese with no plant stanols.

Results:

In the stanol ester group, as compared to the control group, both serum total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol decreased significantly, that is, by 5.8% (−0.32 mmol/l, 95% CI −0.50 to −0.15 mmol/l, P<0.001) and 10.3% (−0.36 mmol/l, 95% CI −0.53 to −0.18 mmol/l, P<0.001), respectively. There were no significant changes in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL), triglycerides or apolipoprotein B concentrations between the groups.

Conclusion:

Cheese enriched with 2 g of plant stanol in the form of fatty acid esters decreases serum total and LDL cholesterol significantly.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Valio Ltd, Helsinki, Finland

    T Jauhiainen & R Korpela

  2. Institute of Biomedicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

    T Jauhiainen & R Korpela

  3. Raisio Research and Development, Raisio plc, Finland

    P Salo

  4. Nutritionist Leena Niittynen, Vihti, Finland

    L Niittynen

  5. Stat-Consulting, Tampere, Finland

    T Poussa

  6. Foundation for Nutrition Research, Helsinki, Finland

    R Korpela

Authors
  1. T Jauhiainen
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  2. P Salo
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  3. L Niittynen
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  4. T Poussa
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  5. R Korpela
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to R Korpela.

Additional information

Guarantor: R Korpela.

Contributors: TJ conducted the study and was responsible for the study design, to which PS also contributed. TJ, PS, LN and TP all contributed to the interpretation of the data. TJ and LN were responsible for the actual writing of the manuscript, and TP was responsible for the statistical analyses. RK is the leader of the group and acted as adviser throughout the work.

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Jauhiainen, T., Salo, P., Niittynen, L. et al. Effects of low-fat hard cheese enriched with plant stanol esters on serum lipids and apolipoprotein B in mildly hypercholesterolaemic subjects. Eur J Clin Nutr 60, 1253–1257 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602445

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602445

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