Regular use of margarine-containing stanol/sterol esters reduces total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and allows reduction of statin therapy after cardiac transplantation: preliminary observations.

Seventeen stable cardiac transplant recipients, of whom 16 were on statin therapy, used margarine with stanol/sterol esters. Total cholesterol in the treatment group was lowered from 211 mg/dl (range 168 to 244) to 177 mg/dl (136 to 241) (17% reduction, p = 0.003) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol was reduced from 125 mg/dl (73 to 161) to 98 mg/dl (57 to 146) (22% reduction, p = 0.0006). LDL cholesterol reached the pre-defined cut-off level of 115 mg/dl in 12 of 17 patients and statin dosages were reduced. In 8 of 12 patients, LDL cholesterol remained at <115 mg/dl 6 weeks after statin reduction.