Stanol/Sterol Supplements

Claims, Benefits: Contains the same cholesterol-lowering compounds as Benecol margarine.

Bottom Line: The ingredients are similar but not the same as in Benecol. And the doses in the supplements are too small to have any effect. No good evidence that these pills are effective.

Full article, Wellness Letter, December 2001:

Ask the Experts

Q: I'm thinking of using Benecol margarine to lower my cholesterol. But I've seen ads for supplements that claim to contain the same ingredient as Benecol, without the fat and calories. Can I take them instead?

A: The key ingredients, though similar, are not the same as in Benecol, and the doses in the supplements are too small to have any effect. And we know of no clinical studies showing that any of these pills are effective.

There is good evidence that Benecol can lower total blood cholesterol by an average of 10%, when eaten as directed. Its cholesterol-lowering ingredients are patented plant stanol esters—modified forms of sterols from pine trees. (Take Control, another FDA-approved margarine, contains plant sterols.) These plant chemicals, which resemble cholesterol, interfere with the absorption of dietary cholesterol in the intestine. The government's recently revised guidelines on cholesterol mentioned plant stanols/sterols, along with foods rich in soluble fiber, as a way to lower cholesterol.

The supplements you mention, with names such as Kholesterol Blocker, beta sitosterol, or Zest for Life Phytosterols, contain forms of plant sterols or stanols. Some of these ingredients were studied in the 1950s and 1960s, but all had problems: they required huge doses for an effect and/or had inconsistent effects, and many were unpalatable.

In any case, the amount of sterols or stanols typically in the supplements sold today is too tiny to have any cholesterol-lowering effect. And as with all dietary supplements in this country, you really have no idea what's in these pills and tablets.

UC Berkeley Wellness Letter, December 2001