Home Ingredients CoroWise® (Plant Sterols for Cholesterol — Cargill)
Cardiovascular

CoroWise® (Plant Sterols for Cholesterol — Cargill)

Evidence Level
Very Strong
2 Clinical Trials
4 Documented Benefits
5/5 Evidence Score

CoroWise is Cargill's brand of plant sterols (phytosterols), which carry an FDA-authorized health claim for cholesterol management (21 CFR 101.83) and an NCEP recommendation. At about 2 g/day, plant sterols lower LDL cholesterol by roughly 8 to 12 percent. That effect is on LDL cholesterol, a risk marker: trials have not shown that plant sterols reduce heart attacks, strokes or death. Used for cholesterol management and LDL cholesterol reduction.

Studied Dose 2 g/day plant sterols (FDA-recommended; 1.3 g/day plant sterol esters minimum)
Active Compound Plant sterols (phytosterols) — typically beta-sitosterol, campesterol, stigmasterol

Benefits

FDA-Approved Cholesterol Health Claim

Plant sterols carry FDA-approved health claim — foods containing at least 0.5 g per serving of phytosterols eaten with meals for daily total of 2 g may reduce risk of coronary heart disease.

Supported by Trial 1, Trial 2

8-15% LDL Cholesterol Reduction

Clinical studies demonstrate 8-15% reduction in 'bad' (LDL) cholesterol with adequate plant sterol intake.

Supported by Trial 2, Trial 1

NCEP and AHA Recommended

Recommended by National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) of National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute; American Heart Association recognition.

Supported by Trial 1, Trial 2

EFSA Health Claim Approval

European Food Safety Authority positive opinion for cholesterol management — global regulatory acceptance.

Supported by Trial 1, Trial 2

Mechanism of action

1

Cholesterol Absorption Inhibition

Plant sterols compete with dietary cholesterol for absorption in intestinal micelles — reduces cholesterol uptake; primary mechanism.

2

Structural Similarity to Cholesterol

Plant sterols are structurally similar to cholesterol but absorbed at much lower efficiency; interfere with cholesterol absorption.

3

ABCG5/ABCG8 Transporter Effects

Plant sterols modulate intestinal cholesterol efflux transporters.

4

LDL Receptor Upregulation

Reduced cholesterol absorption leads to upregulation of LDL receptors in liver — clears more LDL from blood.

5

Bile Acid Recycling Effects

Modest effects on bile acid metabolism.

Clinical trials

1
Plant Sterols for Cholesterol — Evidence Syntheses
PubMed

Multiple pooled analyses of plant sterols for cholesterol management.

Various populations including hypercholesterolemic.

Pooled analyses show LDL cholesterol reductions of roughly 8 to 12 percent at about 2 g/day. The trials measured LDL cholesterol, not heart attacks or deaths, so a reduction in cardiovascular events is not established.

2
Plant Sterol Food-Matrix Trials (not CoroWise-branded)
PubMed

No CoroWise-branded clinical trial is published; the evidence is generic plant sterol trials delivered in food carriers such as fortified orange juice.

Adults with cholesterol concerns.

Plant sterols added to foods such as nonfat orange juice at 2 g/day lowered LDL cholesterol by about 12 percent versus placebo over 8 weeks.

Side effects and drug interactions

Common Potential side effects

Generally well-tolerated.
Mild GI distress (rare).
May reduce absorption of fat-soluble nutrients (beta-carotene, vitamin E) — modest effect.
Allergic reactions extremely rare.
PHYTOSTEROLEMIA (sitosterolemia) — rare genetic condition; avoid plant sterols.

Important Drug interactions

Statins — additive cholesterol-lowering effects; complementary; consult.
Ezetimibe (Zetia) — same intestinal cholesterol absorption mechanism; potential redundancy; consult.
Bile acid sequestrants — may modify plant sterol absorption.
Beta-carotene supplements — modest absorption reduction; supplement separately if needed.
Vitamin E — modest absorption reduction; consider supplementation.
Pregnancy — generally considered safe at dietary levels; consult.
Lactation — generally safe.
Children — generally appropriate; some concerns about cholesterol absorption in children with normal cholesterol.

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Frequently asked questions about CoroWise® (Plant Sterols for Cholesterol — Cargill)

What is CoroWise?

CoroWise is Cargill's brand of plant sterols (phytosterols), which carry an FDA-authorized health claim for cholesterol management (21 CFR 101.83) and an NCEP recommendation. At about 2 g/day, plant sterols lower LDL cholesterol by roughly 8 to 12 percent.

What is CoroWise used for?

CoroWise is researched primarily for Cardiovascular. Plant sterols carry FDA-approved health claim — foods containing at least 0.5 g per serving of phytosterols eaten with meals for daily total of 2 g may reduce risk of coronary heart disease.

What is the recommended dosage of CoroWise?

The clinically studied dose is 2 g/day plant sterols (FDA-recommended; 1.3 g/day plant sterol esters minimum) Always follow the product label and check with a healthcare provider for personal advice.

Is CoroWise safe, and does it have side effects?

For most healthy adults, CoroWise is well tolerated at studied doses. Reported effects can include: Generally well-tolerated. Mild GI distress (rare). It may also interact with some medications. CoroWise is not right for everyone, so check with a healthcare provider first if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, have a medical condition, or take prescription medication.

Does CoroWise interact with any medications?

Possible interactions include: Statins — additive cholesterol-lowering effects; complementary; consult. Ezetimibe (Zetia) — same intestinal cholesterol absorption mechanism; potential redundancy; consult. If you take prescription medication, check with a pharmacist or doctor before using it.

How strong is the scientific evidence for CoroWise?

NutraSmarts rates the evidence for CoroWise as Very Strong (5 out of 5). It is backed by 2 clinical trials and 3 cited references summarized on this page. A higher rating reflects more, larger, and better-designed human studies.

References(3 citations)

Evidence ratings on NutraSmarts are based on the totality of human clinical research, with emphasis on randomized controlled trials, meta-analyses, and systematic reviews. The references below directly support claims made throughout this page.

  1. Demonty I, Ras RT, van der Knaap HCM, Duchateau GSMJE, Meijer L, Zock PL, Geleijnse JM, Trautwein EA. Continuous dose-response relationship of the LDL-cholesterol-lowering effect of phytosterol intake. J Nutr. 2009;139(2):271-84. doi: 10.3945/jn.108.095125.PubMedUsed to support: Parent-compound (plant sterols/stanols generally, not CoroWise-specific) landmark meta-analysis of 84 RCTs: ~2.15 g/d phytosterols lowers LDL-C by ~0.34 mmol/L (~8-9%). Industry authorship. Supports CoroWise's class effect on LDL.
  2. AbuMweis SS, Barake R, Jones PJH. Plant sterols/stanols as cholesterol lowering agents: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Food Nutr Res. 2008;52:1811. doi: 10.3402/fnr.v52i0.1811.PubMedUsed to support: Parent-compound (plant sterols/stanols generally, not CoroWise-specific) meta-analysis: LDL-C reduced ~0.31 mmol/L vs placebo; greater effect in fat-based food matrices and higher-baseline-LDL subjects. Supports the class LDL-lowering effect underlying CoroWise.
  3. Devaraj S, Jialal I, Vega-López S. Plant sterol-fortified orange juice effectively lowers cholesterol levels in mildly hypercholesterolemic healthy individuals. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2004;24(3):e25-8. doi: 10.1161/01.ATV.0000120784.08823.99.PubMedUsed to support: RCT of plant sterol-fortified orange juice (2 g/d, 8 weeks) — the same non-fat orange-juice delivery format marketed with CoroWise, though the abstract does not name the brand. Lowered LDL-C ~12.4% vs placebo. No CoroWise-branded RCT is PubMed-indexed; plant sterols lower LDL but have no proven cardiovascular-outcome benefit.