ABSTRACT
There is substantial evidence that an elevated concentration of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) is one of several important risk factors for the development of coronary heart disease (CHD) (1-7). The increasing public awareness of LDL-C as a risk factor for CHD has created an opportunity for use of phytosterol-enriched products in the marketplace. In the last years, consumers in the United States, Australia, and many European countries have been introduced to phytosterol-enriched food products as novel means to reduce their low-density LDL-C concentrations. The way to communicate the effects of phytosterol-enriched products on health is in part conventional marketing, but also food labeling with “health claims” or “structure function claims” (see Chapter 8 for full explanation) opens up for easy ways to increase public awareness. The commercials and advertisements or more specific claims of food labeling about the beneficial effects of phytosterols on LDL-C and thus on cardiovascular health are based on a large number of clinical and experimental studies.
