Concerned about cholesterol?

Transcription

1 Concerned about cholesterol? Discover the new foods that are clinically proven to lower cholesterol by up to 15%

2 You re right to be concerned. Cholesterol can cause heart disease. Cholesterol plays a key role in heart disease, which kills more people than anything else in the UK. But what exactly is cholesterol? And how does it affect the body? This leaflet will answer these questions and more. We will explain how doctors measure cholesterol and what the results mean. We ll give you some advice on reducing your cholesterol. And we ll also tell you about some new great-tasting foods containing Reducol, an ingredient clinically proven to lower cholesterol by up to 15%. What does too much bad cholesterol do? Arteries are like thin bendy pipes that carry the blood around your body. If bad LDL cholesterol builds up in these pipes, they get harder and clog up with waxy fat. If they clog up too much, not enough blood gets through to your heart, brain and other vital organs. This can lead to heart attacks, strokes, high blood pressure and other signs of heart disease. A lot of people don t even know they have a problem until they see a doctor. Reference: British Heart Foundation Coronary Heart Disease Statistics 2005 What exactly is cholesterol? Cholesterol is a type of waxy fat that gets into your blood. It s known as a lipid.your liver produces most of the cholesterol that your body needs. The rest comes from eating fatty foods like butter, cheese and animal fat. Healthy artery Clogged artery What does cholesterol do? Cholesterol is vital to the human body. It helps every cell in your body work and makes a number of hormones that keep your system working normally. But you need it in the right amounts. Your body produces various types of cholesterol. People often call the two main types good and bad cholesterol. What is bad cholesterol? The proper name for bad cholesterol is LDL (low density lipoprotein) cholesterol. You want a low amount of bad LDL cholesterol. If you have too much, it can stick to the inside of your arteries. blood flows normally waxy fat How do you test for high cholesterol? blood flow is reduced You will need a blood test. There s a simple test that measures the total level of cholesterol in your body. This is the sort they usually carry out in pharmacies. Doctors often prefer another test that measures both the good HDL and the bad LDL cholesterol. You will need to follow your doctor s instructions for this test. The results of both tests are measured in millimoles per litre (mmol/l). What is good cholesterol? What should your cholesterol level be? The good one is called HDL (high density lipoprotein) cholesterol. You want a high amount of good HDL cholesterol. Like a natural pipe cleaner, it flows through the blood and tries to mop up excess bad LDL cholesterol. But if you have too much bad LDL cholesterol and not enough of the For most people the British Heart Foundation (BHF) recommends a target total cholesterol level of 5mmol/l or less and a bad LDL cholesterol level of under 3mmol/l. Good HDL cholesterol should be above 1mmol/l. People who have had a heart problem should always aim for the target level. 2 good HDL cholesterol to mop it up, the bad LDL cholesterol sticks and builds up in your arteries. 3

3 There s a new, easy way to lower your cholesterol by up to 15%. What do total cholesterol levels mean? Below 5.0mmol/l Target (for most people) mmol/l Mildly high mmol/l Moderately high 7.9mmol/l or above Very high The higher your total level of cholesterol, the more bad LDL cholesterol you are likely to have. According to the BHF, the average blood cholesterol level in England is 5.5mmol/l, which is high. Reference: British Heart Foundation, Reducing your blood cholesterol Heart Information Series Number 3, 2004 Do people with high cholesterol always get ill? High cholesterol puts you at greater risk of getting heart disease. But there are other factors to consider. Reducol is clinically proven to cut cholesterol Reducol is the brand name for a new naturally-sourced ingredient that manufacturers are adding to a wide range of foods. Clinical studies show it can lower bad LDL cholesterol by up to 15%, as we explain overleaf. Following a healthy lifestyle could cut your cholesterol by about another 9%. That means a possible total cut of around 24%! What happens when you eat products containing Reducol? Reducol is a unique blend of two similar types of plant extracts called sterols and stanols. Humans have always eaten sterols and stanols because they occur in small amounts in fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. But scientists have discovered that they have a remarkable effect on cholesterol. Very simply, Reducol stops a lot of the cholesterol in the gut from passing into the bloodstream. The Reducol and cholesterol go into the bowel and leave the body in the usual way. This means you have less bad LDL cholesterol in your blood. It doesn t affect the level of good HDL cholesterol. Are you overweight? Do you take little or no exercise? Do you smoke? Do you have high blood pressure? Do you suffer from stress? Do you have diabetes? Do high cholesterol, heart disease or stroke run in your family? If any of these apply, high cholesterol can be even more of a problem. Your doctor can work out your risk level. Reducol Cholesterol Bloodstream Reducol stops a lot of cholesterol passing into the bloodstream How can you lower cholesterol? Gut Gut wall Regular exercise and a healthy diet can really help lower cholesterol. If doctors think there is a serious health risk, they often give medicines called statins. These help reduce cholesterol. But you should still aim for a healthy lifestyle even if you are taking medicine. What foods are bad for cholesterol? You should avoid fatty foods. Keep off butter, red meat, pastries, pies, cakes, biscuits and crisps. Certain dairy products and chilled foods need not be a problem because we now have some very good news... How long does it take to work? Reducol starts to lower cholesterol at once. While you can see a measurable effect after one week, it takes 30 days to lower cholesterol by around 15%. To do this, you only need to eat products containing 1.8 grammes of Reducol a day. This is as small as it sounds. You could take that in a 100ml yoghurt drink or in enough spread for three slices of toast. 4 5

4 Products containing Reducol taste great, are low in fat and GM-free. Will a 15% reduction make a real difference? Yes! If you have mildly raised cholesterol of 6.0mmol/l you could get it down to or below the target level of 5.0mmol/l. If you have moderately or very high levels, a 15% reduction can really help to reduce the risk of heart disease. What s the proof? There have been many clinical studies into the effects of plant sterols and stanols on cholesterol. The British Medical Journal published a detailed review of these studies by Professor Malcolm Law. The key point from the review is that a daily intake of approximately 2 grammes of plant sterols and stanols reduces bad LDL cholesterol by an average of 0.3mmol/l to 0.5mmol/l depending on age. Reference: Law M. Plant sterol and stanol margarines and health BMJ 2000; 320: In one of the studies reviewed by Professor Law, a group of patients with high cholesterol all went on a healthy diet. This alone reduced their cholesterol by 9%. Half the group was given a margarine spread containing Reducol and the other half the margarine spread alone. The bad LDL cholesterol of those taking the spread containing Reducol dropped by a further 15%, which meant they recorded a total drop in bad LDL cholesterol of 24%. Reference: Jones PJH, Ntanios FY, Raeini-Sarjaz MR, Vanstone CA. Cholesterol-lowering efficacy of a sitostanol-containing phytosterol mixture with a prudent diet in hyperlipidemic men. Am J Clin Nutr 1999; 69: How long does the effect last? Studies show that your cholesterol will stay down as long as you eat foods that contain the recommended daily intake of plant sterols and stanols. So if you add products containing Reducol into your daily diet, it will help keep your LDL cholesterol down. Eating more than this will not lower your cholesterol by a greater amount. How does this affect the risk of heart disease? Experts have carried out a number of studies into this. The results generally show that if it is maintained, a reduction in cholesterol in the range 0.3 to 0.5mmol/l, depending on age, may reduce the risk of heart disease by about 25%. Are products made with Reducol safe? The UK and European authorities have approved Reducol for almost everyone except young children, pregnant women and nursing mothers. For the best results, you should use it as part of a balanced diet that includes fruit and fresh vegetables to help maintain levels of vitamins A & D. What happens if you take these products with medicine? Foods containing sterols and stanols have no known reactions with other medicines, including those for lowering cholesterol. It s best to tell your doctor or pharmacist that you are including products containing Reducol in your diet. Look for quality and great taste where you see this symbol You will find Reducol in an increasing number of low-fat, GM-free products, including dairy, chilled and other foods. Look for the Reducol symbol. When you see it, you can be sure of superior taste, quality and value. Great-tasting low-fat spreads, yoghurts and yoghurt drinks are already on sale. Other products are coming soon. Look in the chill cabinets or ask your supermarket staff to show you where they are. 6 7

5 Top tips to lower cholesterol. Watch your weight. If you are overweight, you are at greater risk of heart disease. Avoid all fats particularly butter, cream, ghee, full-fat cheese, lard, suet, dripping, coconut cream and palm oil. If you must use fat, the best ones are olive, rapeseed or avocado oils. Next best are sunflower, corn and soya oils. Avoid pastries, cakes and pies. Avoid fried foods such as crisps, chips and samosas. Always trim the skin and fat off meat. Drink skimmed or semi-skimmed instead of full-fat milk. Choose low-fat foods whenever possible. Choose foods high in fibre such as oatmeal, wheatmeal and wholegrain bread. Eat oily fish like fresh tuna, herring, kippers, mackerel, pilchards, salmon, sardines and trout twice a week. Exercise every day. Try brisk walking, swimming or cycling. Why not join a gym? Eat foods containing 1.8 grammes of Reducol a day. clinically proven to lower cholesterol by up to15% This brochure is dated as at 19th August 2005 and the information contained herein is based on information known to the authors as at such date.