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Benecol type drinks

Mal37

Well-Known Member
Messages
282
Location
Staffordshire
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Social situations
Does anyone know if taking these little drinks (to lower LDL) are okay for we diabetics?

I am just curious as my non-diabetic friend lowered her cholesterol within 5 weeks with then
 
Well, each diabetic is different obviously, but generally each drink wont contain a lot of carbs, 15-20g maybe....

worth testing to see how you get on....
 
It depends on how low you want to go on carbs, the plain version contain 4.3gms of carbs per 100gms, or 2.9gms per 67.5gm bottle. The fruit flavours have higher carb content (see the info in link). The sweetener used is sucralose:
https://www.benecol.co.uk/our-products
 
Mal37 said:
Does anyone know if taking these little drinks (to lower LDL) are okay for we diabetics?

I am just curious as my non-diabetic friend lowered her cholesterol within 5 weeks with then
Click to expand...
did she also alter her diet?

Scientific evidence suggests that eating between 1.5g and 2.4g of plant sterols each day can significantly reduce LDL (bad cholesterol) by up to 10%. There isno additional benefit in taking more than 3g per day.
Click to expand...

Over 3 weeks plant sterols and stanols can reduce cholesterol levels by up to 10% when taken at optimal doses and as part of a diet low in saturated fat.
Click to expand...

the above quotes are taken from: https://heartuk.org.uk/cholesterol-and-diet/healthy-eating/plant-sterols-and-stanols

which seems to say that they dont work alone, you also need to have a low saturated fat diet - which is debatable when looking at current dietary research about the causes of high LDL.
 
I used them in te beginning to get my cholesterol down after coming of statins. Didn't want to believe they would work but they did - I can't remember exactly as it was a few years ago but I think I dropped about 3 points (no diet change) - but I stopped taking then as I hate milk and used to gag drinking them hahaha- I am a lot less bothered about my cholesterol now - my ratios are good and I was over 7 last check and nurse didn't seem bothered either
 
I think you ma6 be interested in the reasons people are told to lower their cholesterol, the research behind this and how the guidelines were fixed.
The average Total Cholesterol in the UK is, I beleive, 6.1. Mine is a lot higher but TC is unimportant, it is the ratio between HDL and Triglycerides that we all should be seeking to improve.
 
I am quite surprised by the levels quoted on this post.
Mine was first tested about 6 years ago and it was about 7.5.
My doctor wanted to put me on ststins but I said I'd like to try diet changes first.
About a year later it was 7 exactly and this time he seemed unconcerned.
Then he retired and another (female) doctor took over ... expressing huge concern over my levels!
It remained at 7 right up until I began taking Plant Sterols .. actually suggested by my GP!
I am now 5.86 HDL is 1.63 and I still take the sterols, but wondered about trying the Benecol drinks too
 
My query isn't whether using plant sterols will reduce LDL (they are proven to do so)

Rather, I would question whether the use of plant sterols is beneficial to health.
http://www.zoeharcombe.com/2018/04/the-diet-heart-hypothesis-plant-sterols/
I realise that this article is behind a paywall, and I apologise for that. I have read the entire thing in another location (which I can no longer find ), and remember leaving the page with the strong impression that I would not be going down the plant sterols route no matter how high my cholesterol went.

Here is another
http://www.zoeharcombe.com/2014/05/replacing-not-lowering-cholesterol-would-be-more-accurate/
 
If those little bottles are 15 to 20 gm of carbs I would not even think about drinking one - older women are rumored to live longer with a higher cholesterol level anyway - and the ratios I got on the last test were good ideal and normal, so why fight it?
 
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