title: Plant sterol and stanol intake in Finland: a comparison between users and nonusers of plant sterol- and plant stanol-enriched foods.
abstract: BACKGROUND/ OBJECTIVES: We evaluated plant sterol and stanol (PS) intakes from natural sources and enriched foods in the Finnish population-based national FINDIET 2007 Survey. In addition, we compared the users and nonusers of PS-enriched foods in terms of their characteristics and dietary intake.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a cross-sectional population-based study on 958 men and 1080 women aged 25-74. Users and nonusers of PS-enriched products were compared with respect to sex, age, education, region, cholesterol-lowering medication and cholesterol-lowering diet. Intakes of PS, energy, energy nutrients, fat composition, cholesterol and dietary fibre were calculated on the basis of a 48-h dietary recall. The distribution of PS intake was assessed for the users of enriched products.
  
  
  RESULTS
  PS-enriched foods were used by 9.5% of all subjects. The usage increased significantly with age (P<0.001) and level of education (P=0.01). The usage of enriched products was more common among those following a cholesterol-lowering medication or diet (P<0.001 for both). Among users, the mean intake of PS was 2.2 g/d for men and 1.6 g/d for women, and among nonusers it was 363 mg/d for men and 286 mg/d for women. The majority of users received less than 2 g/d of PS from enrichment, but 20% of users obtained more than 3 g of PS per day.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The intake of PS can reach several grams in a subgroup of subjects consuming PS-enriched foods. The manufacturers' recommendations on PS-enriched food consumption are not consistently followed, and customer guidance needs to be improved.
authors: Division of Nutrition, Department of Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Marttinen
authors: Nutrition Unit, Department of Lifestyle and Participation, National Institute of Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland.
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Kosola
authors: Nutrition Unit, Department of Lifestyle and Participation, National Institute of Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland.
authors: M-L
authors: ML
authors: Ovaskainen
authors: Division of Nutrition, Department of Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Mutanen
authors: Department of Chronic Disease Prevention, National Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland.
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Männistö
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000924:Anticholesteremic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D015930:Diet Records; D018752:Diet, Fat-Restricted; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D005527:Food, Fortified; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall; D008875:Middle Aged; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D010840:Phytosterols / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D012855:Sitosterols / Q000008:administration & dosage*
chemical_list: D000924:Anticholesteremic Agents; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D010840:Phytosterols; D012855:Sitosterols; C407042:plant stanol ester