Plant Stanols in BENECOL® Spread Included for First Time in New NIH Cholesterol Guidelines
The National Institute of Health's National cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) today announced revised guidelines for lowering cholesterol and reducing the risk of coronary heart disease, the leading cause of death in the U.S. For the first time, NCEP has recommended intake of certain foods, including the plant stanols found in BENECOL® Spread, to help reduce cholesterol.
NCEP's recommendations also call for "intensified use" of diet, physical activity and weight control to manage high cholesterol, to be incorporated in a new "Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes" or TLC treatment plan.
"With these new guidelines, the NIH is emphasizing the importance of nutrition and certain foods in the management of high blood cholesterol, especially in people with risk factors for heart disease," said Nilo Cater, M.D., Nutrition Scholar, Center for Human Nutrition, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. "Consumption of foods such as BENECOL® Spread with plant stanols is now strongly encouraged by the NIH to help lower cholesterol."
The new recommendations are expected to increase the number of people in the U.S. who are following dietary treatment for high cholesterol from approximately 52 million to 65 million.
In addition to being part of NCEP dietary recommendations, BENECOL® Spread was also awarded a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) health claim last year. The FDA found that the plant stanol esters in BENECOL® Spread lower cholesterol and may reduce the risk of heart disease when two to three servings per day are consumed as part of a diet low in saturated fats and cholesterol. This cholesterol-lowering ability is supported by over two dozen studies, including one reported in the New England Journal of Medicine and a U.S. study led by researchers at the Mayo Clinic.
The Mayo Clinic is one of 70 participants in the BENECOL® Healthy Hospitals program, where heart patients with high cholesterol receive BENECOL® Spread with their meals when they are in the hospital and cholesterol-lowering information upon discharge. A partner program, Healthy Workplace, brings advice about cholesterol reduction to corporate wellness centers. Together with Club BENECOL® (www.BENECOL.com; 1-888-BENECOL) for consumers, these programs under the BeneCare umbrella are reaching out to physicians, dietitians and consumers to bring them the best information about diet and heart health.
Coinciding with the NCEP announcement is new packaging for BENECOL® Spread, featuring the FDA health claim for plant stanol esters. The new packaging will be available nationwide starting mid-summer.
BENECOL® Spread is a product of McNeil Consumer Healthcare, a member of the Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies headquartered in Fort Washington, PA. Johnson & Johnson is the world's most comprehensive and broadly-based manufacturer of health care products.
