Cholesterol reduction

Nutri Pharma research in the area of weight management shows that the use of a soy-based low energy or very-low energy diet can significantly reduce cardiovascular risk factors.
Following on from this research, formulations were developed to maximise these beneficial effects and were the subject of seven clinical studies.

The first two trials used an optimisation of the Nutrilett composition of Isolated soy protein and soy fibre under the brand name Abalon®, which  is the medical working title for Nutri 5 within our diabetes research.

20 type 2 diabetic patients took part in a crossover trial to compare the Nutri Pharma formulation with a control using casein plus cellulose[ 1]. After the 6 week trial, the Nutri Pharma composition achieved lower total cholesterol levels, and significantly lower levels of LDL cholesterol, apolipoprotein, triglycerides, and homocysteine. The LDL/HDL cholesterol ratio was also significantly improved.

A group of 130 volunteers was used to asses the effects of 2 different dose levels of the Nutri Pharma composition over 16 weeks[ 2]. Four groups were used, one taking a daily dose of 30g soy protein + 10g soy fibre, the next 50g soy protein + 16.6g soy fibre and two control groups taking the equivalent levels of casein and cellulose. The groups taking the Nutri Pharma composition had significant reductions in LDL cholesterol and total homocysteine compared to the casein groups. Surprisingly, there were no significant differences between the two levels of the Nutri Pharma composition.


The addition of soy phospholipids as a refinement of the Abalon® formulation led to the development of Abacor®, which is the medical working term for Nutri 5 within our cardiovascular research.


The first trial on Abacor® was designed to test whether the composition was more effective at reducing total and LDL cholesterol than a casein placebo[ 3]. 60 volunteers were split into two groups and were given a twice-daily supplement of either Abacor® or placebo for a period of 6 weeks.  The results demonstrated significantly better reductions in total cholesterol ( 8.3% vs 5.1%) and LDL cholesterol (13.2% vs 8.0%) for the Abacor® group. It was also shown that the Abacor® effect was rapidly achieved.

The use of Abacor® as a food ingredient was tested by addition to a yogurt formulation in an 8 week trial involving 143 subjects with hypocholesterolaemia[ 4]. The yogurts were taken twice per day, giving a dose of soy protein from the Abacor® of 41.4g per day. A control group took a standard yogurt product at the same frequency. Results showed that the Abacor® group achieved a significant reduction in both total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol compared to the placebo, and that this reduction occurred within 2 weeks of starting the trial.


The use of Abacor in combination with Cholesterol-lowering medication[ 5].

49 patients with hypocholesterolaemia currently being treated with the use of statin medication were given dietary advice on cholesterol reduction and their normal statin prescription for a run in period of 6 weeks. After this, they were given two sachets of Abacor® daily, equivalent to 30g of soy protein, for 6 weeks. Finally, they were monitored for a further 6 weeks using the statin therapy alone. The results showed that plasma total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol concentrations were significantly lower after 6 weeks of combination treatment.
The conclusion reached was that “Abacor® is well tolerated, safe and has a total and LDL cholesterol-lowering effect when given as a supplement to statins in hypercholesterolemic patients whose plasma lipid concentrations are not adequately controlled. Abacor® may be an attractive alternative to increasing the statin dose.”


The efficacy of the Abacor® composition demonstrated by comparison to the results achieved by soy protein alone[ 6].

121 hypocholesterolaemic patients were randomly assigned to one of three groups, taking daily does for 8 weeks of either: 77.5g Abacor® (containing 25g soy protein), 71.9g of a similarly-flavoured preparation including 25g soy protein or 76.4g of a similarly-flavoured preparation containing casein. The protein used in both the first groups was the same "Supro®Soy" isolated soy protein.
The results demonstrated that Abacor® is approximately twice as effective as soy protein alone in reducing four of the risk factors for coronary heart disease.


The dose response of Abacor® as a nutritional supplement[ 7].

117 patients with hypocholesterolaemia were given Abacor® supplements containing either 15g or 25g of soy protein, or a placebo containing 25g of casein, daily for a period of 8 weeks.
In the Abacor® groups, total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and apolipoprotein B were significantly reduced. The higher level of Abacor® was twice as effective as the lower level.

UHT processing destroys cholesterol-lowering properties of soy protein [ 8].

In a trial using 80 patients that was designed to test the dose-dependent reponse of Abacor® by inclusion in a UHT (Ultra Heat Treated) chocolate milk formulation, the unexpected finding was that LDL cholesterol increased significantly in both treatment and placebo groups. In a follow-up trial carried out to investigate this result, Abacor® was again added to a milk formulation, but without UHT processing. In this case, the 20 patients experienced significant reductions in both total and LDL cholesterol. It was therefore concluded that the heat treatment was responsible for the loss of the cholesterol-lowering effect.
Click here for an interview on this study with Dr. Åke Sjöholm, the Director of Clinical Research and Chief, Diabetes Research Unit, at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden ,