LONDON, October 24, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --

FILM HISTORY'S ICONIC SPY A CANDIDATE FOR HIGH CHOLESTEROL 

An analysis of James Bond's diet and lifestyle has left health experts shaken and stirred. Bond's indulgence in smoking and high fat meals, combined with a stressful career, is a license to kill the superspy through high cholesterol.

Across the 23 Bond films to date*, George Lazenby's character lives the most dangerously and is at certain risk of high cholesterol as a result. With the greatest nicotine intake, along with high fat meals and stressful encounters, Lazenby's Bond is the most likely to suffer the effects of poor heart health. 

Coupled with excessive alcohol consumption is Bond's high fat diet, primarily consisting of meat, including steak, lamb and fried chicken. Sean Connery's Bond had the poorest diet and his nutritionally unbalanced and irregular meals would have failed to sustain his active lifestyle.

Bond's stress levels would further complicate his heart health, particularly for George Lazenby's Bond who encountered the most incidents of stress during his one film, including being kidnapped, involved in a car chase and saving a drowning woman.

Lifestyle expert Dr Rob Hicks says Bond's eating and drinking habits are a recipe for high cholesterol and heart disease: "007 is more likely to be killed by his lifestyle and diet than the golden gun. He might be the world's greatest action man but Bond's consumption of saturated fat, found in red meat and full-fat dairy, could push his level of bad cholesterol to an all-time high, with his smoking and the extreme stress he faces further raising the spectre of a heart attack.

"My advice to real-life action-heroes would be to defeat high cholesterol through a more balanced diet. Most importantly, we should eat everything in moderation, but with saturated fat avoided or at least kept to a minimum as it increases bad cholesterol in the blood and can lead to heart disease."

Linda Main, dietetic advisor at HEART UK, the cholesterol charity, recommends that Bond switch to a diet high in plant-based foods: "Studies show that eating more plant based proteins and fibres found in nuts, soya, oats, barley, fruit and vegetables can actually help to lower cholesterol. Plant sterols can also reduce cholesterol. So by also adding to his diet a spread fortified with plant sterols or stanols, such as Flora ProActiv, a character like James Bond could greatly improve his heart health and live to die another day."

About Flora ProActiv 

Flora ProActiv spread is available in all major supermarkets RRP £3.49 (500g) /£1.90 (250g) and Mini Health Drinks RRP £3.49

***Flora ProActiv contains plant sterols. Plant sterols have been shown to lower blood cholesterol. High cholesterol is a risk factor in the development of coronary heart disease.  Consuming 1.5-2.4g of plant sterols per day can lower cholesterol by 7-10% in 2-3 weeks, when consumed as part of a healthy diet and lifestyle with sufficient fruit and vegetables.

SOURCE Flora ProActiv