New prescription food labels.

Grocery isles are starting to look more like a pharmacy thanks to recent Food and Drug Administration approval for health claims on food labels. "Take two and call your doctor" can now apply to tablespoons of margarine. New labeling claims have been approved for foods containing plant sterol or plant stanol esters, which have been shown to reduce the risk of coronary artery disease by reducing blood cholesterol levels. The claims are a significant departure from claims such as "promotes heart-health" and will specify a dose (or serving) that reduces blood cholesterol and, therefore, overall coronary artery disease risk.

Plant sterols are present in small quantities in fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, cereals, legumes and other plant sources. Plant stanols are present in the same list of foods in even smaller quantities. Studies have shown that a minimum of 1.3 grams per day of plant sterols or 3.4 grams per day of plant stanols have a significant cholesterol-lowering effect. Each 1% drop in blood cholesterol reduces the risk of coronary artery disease by 2%. Studies have shown that two tablespoons a day of plant extract margarine (look for Benecol and Take Control) can reduce low-density lipoprotein levels (the bad cholesterol) by 10%, which is why the broader claim, that these foods can reduce your risk of coronary disease, is now being permitted. Adding these plant extracts to a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, can be one more weapon against coronary heart disease, which still kills more people than any other disease.

(For more information contact the Food and Drug Administration at 1-888-INFOFDA or go to http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov)