Soon, Expect Advisory on Packs With Cholesterol Buster

CHENNAI: If you are one of those who pick and chose anti-cholesterol food products to cut that little extra fat, you better read between the lines.

With growing scientific evidence on the side effects of sterols, a commonly used cholesterol-busting substance in packed food products, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) may soon mandate food companies to print a warning on the products.

In its recently released draft regulations, the authority proposed that all the food products containing sterols must mention that the food is “not nutritionally appropriate” for pregnant and lactating women and also for children younger than five years.

Besides, the label should also inform that that the per day intake of sterols should not exceed 3 gm. In other words, if a product contains one per cent sterol, you should not consume more than 300 grams of that product in a day.

FSSAI, the nation’s apex food standard body, proposed the norms following similar mandate by the European Union and several other Western countries last year.

Sterols is a type of plant-based fat widely used as an ingredient in milk-based food products, fruit drinks, edible oils and baked (bread) products.

While sterols often enable food companies to market their product as “dietary” or “healthy”, experts, concurring with the views of FSSAI, say excessive intake of sterols may kill “good” cholesterol, leading to potentially high risky health disorders.

“Only excessive LDL cholesterol leads to cardiovascular diseases. Other categories of cholesterol act as a vehicle to carry proteins, enzymes and other nutrients and support tissue formation and growth in children less than five years of age,” says M Singavelu, State president of the Indian Association of Pediatrics.

He points out that a lot of young parents provide their children sterol supplements to fight obesity, rather than worrying about the junk food they eat.

According to doctors, sterols is recommended only for children who have genetic disorders with high cholesterol levels (familial hypercholesterolemia). Several Western countries have mandated the food containing sterols to be labelled with a warning that it is strictly not for use of non-target group, i.e. people who are not in need to control their blood cholesterol levels.

“Since there are not enough studies on the effects of sterols on Indian pregnant women, it is better to avoid them. Low cholesterol might weaken the placenta and increase the risk of premature labour and other pregnancy-related problems,” says gynaecologist Vasantha.

Recent studies reveal that sterols was sometimes linked to higher risk of cancer, depression and cardiovascular disease. “We have given 180 days time for public opinion. After this, a final notification will be made,” an FSSAI official told Express.