LONDON, November 12, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --

Foods with added plant sterols and stanols - key strategy in dietary management of dyslipidaemias 

Today, primary healthcare professionals can access a new evidence-based learning resource endorsed by the European Atherosclerosis Society (EAS) - DyslipidaemIa ManagEment Tutorial - DIET at the Heart of CVD Prevention. The tutorial has been specifically developed by leading international experts to provide understanding on the role of dietary and lifestyle factors in the management of dyslipidaemia to prevent cardiovascular disease (CVD), alongside strategies to help identify and manage patients who can benefit from such modifications.  

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Dietary habits and their influence on cardiovascular risk have been extensively reviewed in recent years, and the latest European Atherosclerosis Society/European Society of Cardiology (EAS/ ESC) guidelines on the management of dyslipidaemias and ESC CVD prevention guidelines now state that dietary modifications should form the basis of CVD prevention.   Elevated levels of plasma total cholesterol (TC) levels, and in particular of low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol, are known causes of coronary atherosclerosis; therefore, strategies to reduce total and LDL-cholesterol can significantly reduce cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.

Professor Alberico Catapano, EAS President, Professor of Pharmacology, University of Milan, and co-Chair of the Expert Working Group that developed the DyslipidaemIa ManagEment Tutorial said: 'Each year cardiovascular disease results in around 1.9 million deaths in Europe, yet we know that a large number of mortalities, including patients with all levels of CVD risk, could be prevented by simple dietary and lifestyle modifications.'

He continued: 'To heighten understanding of the central role dietary modifications play in the prevention of CVD, it is important to provide primary health care professionals with evidence-based learning resources: the DyslipidaemIa ManagEment Tutorial - brings together the latest guidance and recommendations in this field, alongside practical advice and dietary aids for patients.  

The new tutorial highlights the significance of the EAS/ ESC recommendation for daily consumption of foods (e.g. margarine and dairy products) with added plant sterols and stanols (about 2g/ day) as an effective dietary change to lower LDL-cholesterol levels by up to 10%, in patients at all levels of CVD risk.  Plant sterols and stanols have an additional LDL-cholesterol lowering effect, when used in combination with a statin.

The EAS consensus panel recommends that foods with added plant sterols and stanols may be considered for:

• Patients with high cholesterol levels at intermediate or low global CVD risk who do not qualify for pharmacotherapy;
• As an adjunct to pharmacologic therapy in high and very high risk patients who fail to achieve LDL-cholesterol targets on statins or are statin-intolerant;
• Patients (>6 years) with familial hypercholesterolaemia.

Professor John Chapman, INSERM and the Pitie-Salpetriere University Hospital, Paris, and co-Chair of the Expert Working Group that developed the tutorial, commented: 'With growing emphasis on diet and lifestyle as the basis for the prevention of CVD, this new training resource constitutes a valuable resource for all primary care professionals.  The resource will help primary care professionals to identify those patients who could benefit from dietary modifications to reduce cholesterol levels and prevent CVD; it is designed to be highly accessible, with detailed case histories to share clinical experiences, and practical advice and dietary tools to help motivate patients to make key lifestyle changes.'

Leading specialists in dyslipidaemia from across Europe have collaborated to develop the training resource, and the tutorial is also endorsed by the European Atherosclerosis Society (EAS).   The initiative is supported by BASF, Danone, Raisio and Unilever.  

The new learning resource is intended as a 'refresher' course for general practitioners and healthcare professionals in primary care practices, to leverage existing knowledge in this key area.  The tutorial includes detailed case studies and practical dietary aids for consultations with patients. The tutorial can be accessed for FREE from http://www.dietattheheart.com.

Notes to editors:  

The tutorial can be accessed at http://www.dietattheheart.com and via the EAS website - http://www.eas-society.org/

Please find attached a link to the full paper http: http://www.atherosclerosis-journal.com/article/S0021-9150(13)00694-1/pdf

For further information or comments from other members of the international working group that developed the tutorial please contact: 

Sallyanne Jones - Tel: +44-(0)1273-712027 Email: sjones@thisispegasus.co.uk

Issued on behalf of BASF, Danone, Raisio and Unilever.  

SOURCE DIET at the Heart of CVD Prevention