Importers consider three-week dietary plan as successful

A three-week dietary plan in which six individuals participated was a success in that it resulted in weight loss and lower cholesterol levels, a spokesman for the company that organised the programme said.

The Flora pro-activ Three-Week Challenge was launched in Malta on the occasion of World Heart Day last September. The challenge, the company said, was designed by health experts to test the effect on cholesterol levels when consuming Flora pro-activ products for three weeks as part of a healthy lifestyle.

The initiative was offered to a group of Maltese people, who originally attended the World Heart Day seminars in October 2007 and had taken the free cholesterol test offered by Flora. Seven participants, two women and five men, voluntarily took part in the challenge.

From the six participants who successfully finished the programme two had started with a normal body mass index, three were overweight and one was obese. The fasting lipid profiles showed an average total cholesterol level of 7.0mmol/l, an average LDL (bad cholesterol) of 5.8 mmol/l and an average HDL (good cholesterol) of 1.2mmol/l. The participants' ages ranged from 30 to 63 years.

The target for asymptomatic individuals at low risk of developing heart disease is to have LDL cholesterol of less than 4mmol/l, an HDL cholesterol greater than 1mmol/l and a total cholesterol level of under 5.5mmol/l. (Retelny, et al., 2008).

During the course of the challenge each participant followed an individualised dietary plan. They were assessed every week for the duration of the programme by nutritionist Joseph Magri, who monitored their food intake diary and progress.

At the end of the three week challenge the participants who followed the diet and exercise advice of the nutritionist managed to change their lifestyle and reduce both their weight and cholesterol levels: average total cholesterol level of 6.1mmol/l (12.9 per cent reduction) and an average LDL cholesterol of 4.4mmol/l (24.1 per cent reduction), the company said.

Flora and Flora pro-activ products are part of the Unilever brand portfolio imported and distributed by M&Z (Marketing) Ltd.