Benecol, does it really work ?

bobo696 · 18 Jun 2012 at 20:58

Hey there

So has anyone tried it and seen a real improvement on their cholesterol level ?

FARGO · 19 Jun 2012 at 16:19

Not personally - my father seems to think that it's done wonders for his though. However, he started eating it at the same time as choosing to eat a better diet... He's in his mid-50's if that makes any difference

Spuj · 20 Jun 2012 at 10:27

FARGO said:
However, he started eating it at the same time as choosing to eat a better diet... He's in his mid-50's if that makes any difference

My Dad did the same thing so couldn't say whether it made a difference as he changed many things about his diet.

Bill101 · 20 Jun 2012 at 11:14

As it contains Statins derived from plants and Statins do lower cholesterol, I would say that it does work (better than real butter would anyway!)

NXZT · 20 Jun 2012 at 12:32

the only issue you need to be aware of is that Statins have some side effects you need to be aware off.
I would recommend more a change in diet then finding a "technical" fix for high cholesterol.

Jokester · 20 Jun 2012 at 12:33

Aye statins are linked to an increase in depression, though that could just be due to people on them eating more salads.

Jolteh · 20 Jun 2012 at 13:19

Jokester said:
Aye statins are linked to an increase in depression.

Not in any significant sense. In the health profession statins are considered to be pretty safe with a comparatively small chance of adverse effects.

They even sell them over the counter now, without prescription, in lower doses.

NXZT · 20 Jun 2012 at 13:26

Jokester said:
Aye statins are linked to an increase in depression, though that could just be due to people on them eating more salads.

agree, I remembered when i saw the thread that there was a documentation on BBC about selling food under the banner of positive health claims and looking at all the "bogus products" out there.

Benecol was tested as prt of the programme and found effective to lower Cholesterol, but it was pointed out that the level of Statins in Benecol are above the level you can "humanly achieve" by following a specific diet and by this crosses to a certain degree a line from food into "hidden medication" etcetc

Raymond Lin · 20 Jun 2012 at 13:50

They must do as otherwise their claims would've been taken down years ago. They did proper scientific studies to prove that it does.

smit101 · 20 Jun 2012 at 13:55

We need cholesterol, it is one of the most important substances in the human body, that is why every one of our cells is capable of producing it. Benecol is overly processed garbage, bin it! Eat traditional fats such as butter, lard, tallow, marine oils, olive oil, coconut oil. The fats to avoid and the ones that do cause harm are the processed oils/fats found in many modern convenience foods, limit/avoid them and you'll be ok.

http://www.ajcn.org/content/early/2010/01/13/ajcn.2009.27725.abstract

Jolteh · 20 Jun 2012 at 15:54

Raymond Lin said:
They must do as otherwise their claims would've been taken down years ago. They did proper scientific studies to prove that it does.

That's a pretty reasonable way to think about it (and how it should be), but sadly scientific studies aren't as pure as everyone thinks they are.

The amount of utter nutritional tripe that is widely peddled on just about medium is pretty staggering. It's actually really really hard to sift out the bad and biased advice from the good stuff.

The post above me is a good example. It's got some truth to it, but then there's the video. If you watch the video, it sounds reasonable, quotes a study or two for authority, so seems legit. A lot of what the video says might contradict what your GP would tell you, which doesn't necessarily mean it's wrong, but then when you check out the author of the video you see he's homeopathy/acupuncturist salesman. I've got no idea what the video goes on to talk about as I only watched the first couple of minutes, but you can instantly see the video's motives.

I'd strongly recommend anyone with even a slight interest in the topic to have a look at some of the stuff done by guys like Ben Goldacre. He's got a book out called 'Bad Science' which is a fascinating read. There are also a bunch of good videos of him talking on YouTube.

Not strictly relevant to Benecol, as I've got no idea about it. I guess one spread is as good as another in moderation.

NXZT · 20 Jun 2012 at 16:29

Raymond Lin said:
They must do as otherwise their claims would've been taken down years ago. They did proper scientific studies to prove that it does.

not sure about that and I wouldn't rely on that. There are still numerous companies out there stating fictional health benefits to justify a price premium on their products.

It looks like that only relatively recent authorities are seriously clamping down on those companies and the way they basically falsely advertise.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10240263

Tattysnuc · 11 Jul 2012 at 12:47

I tried it for a period of about 3 months after testing high (5.2) for Cholesterol. I completely avoided dried foods, eggs and adding Oils to cook things. I also subbed in Benecol instead of my usual (Clover Lighter)

When I was re-tested, my cholesterol came out to be 5.1, which was VERY disappointing.

I've since dropped the "diet" changes and reverted. The Docs going to monitor it. I guess I don't eat enough benecol/bread for this to have a statistically significant impact...