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Phytosterols Enriched Cocoa Can Cut Cholesterol

November 13, 2006 8:42 pm 0 comments

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First, a few words about phytosterols: Phytosterols are plant-derived compounds that are
structurally similar to the cholesterol found in mammals. Curiously, foods
containing phytosterols have been shown to help cut
cholesterol.
OK. Now the news: The Scientific American reports that researchers at the University of California at Davis
randomly assigned 67 people with high cholesterol to eat two
snack bars containing 1.5 grams of plant sterols each every day
for six weeks or two bars that did not contain plant sterols.
Sciam tells us that those who ate the sterol-enriched bars had a
4.7- percent reduction in total cholesterol and a 6-percent
reduction in LDL cholesterol after six weeks, and also showed
an increase in the amount of HDL or "good" cholesterol in
relation to total cholesterol. The full report is published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

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