Margarine with rapeseed sterols and blood vessel markers
What it found
In 58 people with high cholesterol, margarine enriched with rapeseed sterols lowered two blood markers linked to blood vessel health, while margarine with tall oil sterols did not.
The study lasted 4 weeks per margarine.
What they found
Studies in people
E-selectin lowered
The rapeseed-sterol margarine lowered E-selectin levels compared with the control margarine. The tall-sterol margarine had no effect on E-selectin.
tPAI-1 lowered
The rapeseed-sterol margarine lowered tPAI-1 compared with the tall-sterol margarine.
TNFα and VCAM-1 unchanged
No significant changes were seen in TNFα or VCAM-1 with either sterol margarine.
LDL link not found
No link was found between the drop in LDL cholesterol and the changes in E-selectin or tPAI-1.
What the authors conclude
“Rapeseed-sterol margarine demonstrated favorable effects on vascular risk markers.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that rapeseed-sterol margarine showed favorable effects on vascular risk markers.
How it was done
The sterol profile of rapeseed oil differs from that of tall oil, with higher levels of campesterol and brassicasterol. The authors had already found that margarines providing 2 g/day of sterols from either source lowered LDL cholesterol by 8-9%, and wanted to see if these margarines also affected markers of blood vessel function, inflammation and clotting.
They collected blood samples from 58 volunteers with high cholesterol who completed a double-blinded, randomised, crossover trial. Each person ate a rapeseed-sterol margarine, a tall-sterol margarine and a control margarine with no sterols, each for 4 weeks, with one-week washout periods in between. All the margarines had the same fatty acid composition.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- This trial measured blood markers over 4 weeks. It cannot show whether these changes affect the risk of heart disease or other health outcomes over time.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- Oslo University Hospital, Norway
The paper
- Title
- Effects of margarine enriched with plant sterol esters from rapeseed and tall oils on markers of endothelial function, inflammation and hemostasis
- Type
- Randomised controlled trial
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Heggen E, Kirkhus B, Pedersen JI, Tonstad S (2015). Effects of margarine enriched with plant sterol esters from rapeseed and tall oils on markers of endothelial function, inflammation and hemostasis. Scandinavian journal of clinical and laboratory investigation. doi:10.3109/00365513.2014.992040PubMed 25553599DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error