Heart healthy margarine may have benefits for diabetics

Phytosterol-enriched margarines, known to significantly lower total and LDL cholesterol, may also be able to reduce the risk of heart disease in people with type 2 diabetes, report German researchers.

The team from Dusseldorf in Germany report in the European Journal of Nutrition​ on a small study investigating the effect of a phytosterol-enriched spread in 85 people with type 2 diabetes mellitus on serum lipids, HbA1c, and blood glucose. None of the patients were hospitalised or taking hypolipidemic medication at the time.

The randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial took place over 12 weeks. Participants consumed two measures of 10g of spread with or without 8 per cent phytosterol-esters daily. Fasting blood samples were analysed at 0, four, eight, and 12 weeks.

After four weeks, total and LDL cholesterol were significantly reduced in the phytosterol group by 5.2 per cent and 6.8 per cent, respectively, compared to baseline. After eight and 12 weeks, these reductions became smaller however and were not significant any more compared to baseline or between the groups, but a repeated measurement analysis demonstrated a significant difference for both variables between the two groups.

HDL cholesterol was significantly increased in the phytosterol group compared to the placebo group after eight and 12 weeks, but there was no overall difference in the repeated measurement analysis between the two groups. In the phytosterol group, there was a small reduction in HbA1c compared to the control group which was only significant after four weeks.

The team concluded: "This clinical study shows that a phytosterol-enriched spread is effective in lowering total and LDL cholesterol in subjects with type 2 diabetes but also illustrates the difficult maintenance under free-living conditions over time."​ They added that although the effect seen was modest, it may contribute to decreasing the elevated risk of cardiovascular disease in type 2 diabetes.