CHOLESTEROL-LOWERING MARGARINES.The new cholesterol-lowering margarines that we wrote about earlier this year (April 1999, cover story) may rob the body of carotenoids Carotenoids Carotenoids are yellow to deep-red pigments. Mentioned in: Vitamin A Deficiency carotenoids (k , which protect against cancer, heart disease, and eye problems. The margarines--Benecol and Take Control--are among the hottest new "functional foods." They're fortified fortified (fôrt  ´fīd),adj containing additives more potent than the principal ingredient. with phytosterols, which are plant compounds that can lower high blood cholesterol levels by ten percent or more. But new research from Finland suggests that cholesterol isn't the only thing they lower. In a six-week study of 23 women, a Benecol-like margarine lowered blood levels of beta-carotene by 30 percent.[1] And in a year-long study of 102 men and women, Benecol lowered beta-carotene by 25 percent.[2] The studies didn't test blood levels of lutein lutein /lu·te·in/ (-in) 1. a lipochrome from the corpus luteum, fat cells, and egg yolk. 2. any lipochrome. lu·te·in n. 1. and lycopene lycopene /ly·co·pene/ (li´ko-pen) the red carotenoid pigment of tomatoes and various berries and fruits. ly·co·pene n. , two other important carotenoids. Carotenoids may lower the risk of heart disease, cancer, stroke, and macular degeneration macular degeneration, eye disorder causing loss of central vision. The affected area, the macula, lies at the back of the retina and is the part that produces the sharpest vision. , the most common cause of blindness in the elderly. If the new studies are borne out by future research on other carotenoids, the new margarines may cut into the potential benefits of eating fruits and vegetables. [1] Metabolism 48: 575, 1999. [2] Atherosclerosis 145: 279, 1999. |
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