How does margarine affect cholesterol?

Look in any grocery store and you can find margarines that claim to provide cholesterol-lowering benefits. Do these products really work and how do these foods fit into a healthful eating plan?

Research shows margarines made from two different phytochemicals can reduce low density lipoproteins (LDL), also known as "bad cholesterol." The plant compounds that interfere with the absorption of cholesterol are plant sterols and stanols. These compounds are used in Food and Drug Administration-approved margarines and have been found to help lower the LDL cholesterol, without lowering high density lipoproteins (HDL), the "good cholesterol."

Adding one of these margarines to your eating plan might be worth the extra calories, but margarines alone can't lower cholesterol. That starts with an overall diet that is low in total fat, especially saturated fat.