1.
It is estimated that by 2030, almost 23.6 million people will die from CVD [1]. What % of CVD do you think is attributable to modifiable risks like diet and lifestyle?
Correct Answer
C. 80%
Explanation
Answer: C – Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the single biggest killer in the UK, responsible for one in three deaths each year [2] . According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 80% of premature CVD (heart disease and stroke) could be prevented [1]. Simple changes to everyday food choices and lifestyle are key to help reduce the risk of CVD.
2.
By what percentage does a patient have to lower their cholesterol to see a 20% reduction in CVD risk?
Correct Answer
A. They would need to lower their cholesterol by 10% to lower their CVD risk by 20%
Explanation
Answer: A - Lowering LDL cholesterol by just 10% is estimated to reduce the risk of CVD by 20% in the long term. [3]
3.
If you thought men were more at risk of CVD than women, you’d be mistaken. Although women on average develop CVD risk factors ten years later than men, their overall risk is no lower than men’s. During the menopause, women’s cholesterol levels begin to rise. By how much does CVD risk increase in women in the 10 years after the menopause?
Correct Answer
B. It increases four-fold
Explanation
Answer: B – Research suggests that CVD risk in women in the ten years after the menopause increases four-fold, partly as a result of the change in cholesterol levels [4].
4.
Plant sterol-enriched foods significantly lower cholesterol and have the potential to provide substantial healthcare savings. In the UK, what healthcare saving could be generated each year?
Correct Answer
A. £87 million
Explanation
Answer: A – Plant sterol-enriched foods substantially lower cholesterol and have the potential to provide substantial healthcare savings of approximately £87million in the UK alone [5].
5.
How many official dietary recommendations for cholesterol management include plant sterols?
Correct Answer
C. More than 10
Explanation
Answer: C – The International Atherosclerosis Society, Heart UK, the US National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP), Diabetes UK and many other international organisations including American Heart Association, Heart Foundation Australia, Dutch Heart Foundation, Finnish Nutrition Association, Finnish Medical Society, Spanish Atherosclerosis Society and Nutrition Foundation of Italy have all included plant sterols in their dietary recommendations for cholesterol management.
6.
The optimum level of plant sterols that patients should consume for cholesterol-lowering is 2 to 2.5 grams per day [6]. But in reality what level of plant sterols do you think your patients consume from everyday foods through a normal diet without plant sterol enriched foods?
Correct Answer
B. Less than 0.5 grams
Explanation
Answer: B - Patients tend to consume between 0.15-0.31g plant sterols per day from everyday foods [7,8,9]. Flora pro.activ foods are enriched with plant sterols to help your patients consume 2g of plant sterols per day. Just 3 portions of Flora pro.activ spread or milk or 1 Flora pro.activ mini drink a day provides the optimum amount of plant sterols for cholesterol lowering.
7.
By how much do you think 2 grams of plant sterols a day can reduce cholesterol absorption in the gut?
Correct Answer
B. 30-40%
Explanation
Answer: B - Consuming 2 grams of plant sterols a day reduces the absorption of cholesterol
by 30-40%. The cholesterol that is not absorbed is then excreted (along with virtually all the plant sterols) [10].
8.
What plant sterol enriched food can provide your patients with the same amount of sterols as is found in 425 tomatoes (the amount they would need to eat to achieve the optimum plant sterol intake [11,12,13] )?
Correct Answer
C. Both A and B are true
Explanation
Answer: C – 3 portions of Flora pro.activ milk or spread or 1 Flora pro.activ mini drink a day provides the optimum amount of plant sterols for cholesterol lowering.
9.
What food can lower your patients’ cholesterol by up to 10% in just three weeks?
Correct Answer
B. Flora pro.activ cholesterol plant sterol enriched foods
Explanation
Answer: B - When combined with a healthy diet and lifestyle, eating Flora pro.activ can help your patients to lower their cholesterol by up to 15% in 3 weeks [14,15]. In comparison, your patient could expect to lower his/her cholesterol by up to 5% by moving to a healthy diet and lifestyle.
10.
Which foods have approval from European Authorities to make cholesterol-lowering claims?
Correct Answer(s)
B. Flora pro.activ cholesterol plant sterol enriched foods
C. Oats
Explanation
Answer: B and now also C - In order to make an EU disease risk reduction claim, all scientific evidence must be independently reviewed and endorsed by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Unilever was the first to secure a disease risk reduction claim in the European market place in 2009 for its Flora pro.activ cholesterol lowering food range, enriched with plant sterols: “Plant sterols have been shown to reduce blood cholesterol. High cholesterol is a risk factor in the development of coronary heart disease”. Plant stanols are also allowed to bear the above claim. In December 2010, EFSA also approved a health claim linking consumption of oat beta-glucans with improved cholesterol levels. It is worth noting that compared to beta-glucan, plant sterols give a greater reduction in cholesterol, and no other food is more effective at lowering cholesterol.
11.
Which of your patients can you recommend Flora pro.activ to?
Correct Answer
E. All of the above
Explanation
Answer: All of the above – the Flora pro.activ range is suitable for patients with elevated blood cholesterol levels, those on lipid lowering medication, patients with familial hypercholesterolemia and type-2 diabetes. We always recommend that these patients consult their doctor to discuss additional use of plant sterol enriched foods.