Plant stanol ester lowers cholesterol as part of any diet. However, they are not a substitute for a healthy diet. A varied, balanced diet and an active lifestyle, which includes your ‘5-a-day’, has its own beneficial effect on cholesterol levels and overall heart health, which is why the best results are obtained by combining Benecol products with other healthy food choices. More so, adopting healthy habits, such as eating a balanced diet and keeping active, can not only help prevent your cholesterol levels becoming high in the first place, and help bring your cholesterol numbers down if they’re raised, but it can benefit your overall health too.