The efficacy of plant sterols has been demonstrated both in clinical trials and in real-life settings.
Multiple studies, under free living condition, comprising of a total of over 10,000 individuals, each assessed over a 5-year period, have demonstrated the cholesterol-lowering effect of spreads with added plant sterols under customary conditions.54-56
Cholesterol-lowering challenge in a real-life setting
The cholesterol-lowering challenge has been successfully demonstrated in real-life settings. For example, in 2013, the residents of Rutland, the smallest county in England, took up the ProActiv cholesterol-lowering challenge; a three-week healthy eating and activity programme to raise awareness and inspire people to make easy lifestyle changes.57
The results showed that 82% of 69 participants lowered their cholesterol in just three weeks. You can find out more about this challenge here.