Effects of Mayonnaise Containing Plant Sterol on Blood Cholesterol in Borderline or Mildly Hypercholesterolemic Japanese Subjects

Objective In a placebo-controlled, double-blind study, we examined the effects on blood lipids and safety of mayonnaise containing a plant sterol (PS) in Japanese subjects , 40 years and older. Methods Borderline or mildly hypercholesterolemic Japanese subjects (serum total cholesterol (TC)200 mg/dl ; 40 men and 20 women) were randomly divided into two groups and given 15 g of low-energy mayonnaise with 885 mg of PS IPS(+)-groupl or placebo-mayonnaise without PS [PS(-group] daily for 12 weeks. Every 4 weeks, fasting blood was tested and subjective symptoms were analyzed . Results There was no significant change in serum TC and LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) concentrations in the PS(—)-group during the study, while significant decreases were observed in the PS(+)-group at weeks 4, 8, and 12 post-compared with pre-ingestion. Further, changes in the serum apolipoprotein B concentration, as well as serum TC and LDL-C concentrations, in the PS(+)-group were significantly lower compared with those of the PS(—)-group at weeks 4, 8, and 12. There was no change in the serum concentrations of HDL cholesterol (HDL-C) and TG for the PS(+)-group during the study period, and blood tests indicated normal ranges. Conclusion The results indicated that PS-containing low-energy mayonnaise decreased serum TC and LDL-C concentrations in borderline or mildly hypercholesterolemic subjects ; therefore, the mayonnaise may be helpful in maintaining the health of the Japanese population. (Ningen. Dock 2007 ; 21 : 29-34)