Do Benecol® Products reduce the risk of CHD (coronary heart disease)?

Benecol® Products are foods, and not drugs, and as such, they are used as a dietary approach. Plant stanol ester, the functional ingredient in Benecol® Products, has been proven to reduce cholesterol in 70+ clinical studies. Benecol® Products, when consumed daily with meals as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.

Are there added benefits for patients on a low saturated fat, low cholesterol diet? 

Yes. Benecol® Products can be used in conjunction with a low-fat diet to provide additional cholesterol lowering benefit versus diet alone (as shown in articles such as that published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition).

Have the effects of Benecol® Products on a vegetarian diet been studied? 

Clinical trials exclusively with vegetarians have not been conducted. However, a clinical study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 1999; 69:403-10, demonstrated that additional cholesterol lowering could be achieved when a plant stanol ester spread is added to a low saturated fat, low cholesterol diet.

Can Benecol® Products be used with a statin for additional cholesterol reduction? 

Across a large number of clinical studies, plant stanol use has been combined with statin medication and has produced the same results: the cholesterol-lowering effect of plant stanol is additive to that of statins. 

Do plant stanols have any effect on HDL-C or triglycerides? 

Plant stanol esters have not been found to affect HDL-cholesterol or triglyceride levels.