Which Breakfast Spread Lowers Levels Best?

• Position: LDL cholesterol levels - Brief Article - Statistical Data Included

What is the healthiest spread for morning toast? Alice Lichtenstein, a nutrition researcher at Tufts University, Medford, Mass., found significantly lower levels of LDL (the "bad" cholesterol) in those eating oil and semiliquid margarines than in those who ate stick margarine and butter.

Vegetable oils are turned into a hard stick of margarine through a production process called hydrogenation, thus producing an artificial chemical called trans fatty acids. These have been shown to raise cholesterol levels and the risk of heart disease. While butter is very low in trans fatty acids, it is high in saturated fat, which also raises cholesterol.

"To prevent coronary heart disease, people need to reduce both saturated and hydrogenated fat (which results in trans fatty acid)," Lichtenstein says.

The...