Yoplait(R) offers first yogurt in U.S. with cholesterol-lowering plant sterols

MINNEAPOLIS, Feb 14, 2005  -- As the focus on women's heart health this month compels countless American women to vow to lower their cholesterol levels, Yoplait introduces Healthy Heart yogurt - the first yogurt available in the United States that contains cholesterol-lowering plant sterols.

Eating two servings of Yoplait Healthy Heart per day as part of a heart-healthy diet is a delicious and easy way to help lower cholesterol, which may reduce heart disease risk. Yoplait Healthy Heart features that same great taste that women have come to love and expect from Yoplait. Now available nationwide, Yoplait Healthy Heart comes in four fruit flavors: Strawberry, Harvest Peach, Cherry Orchard and Strawberry Banana.

"Heart disease is the number one killer of American women(1), but there are a few relatively simple steps women can take to lower their risk. Research shows that adopting a heart-healthy lifestyle - such as a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol and getting regular exercise - can lower heart disease risk by as much as 82 percent(2)," said Jean Storlie, M.S., R.D., and manager at General Mills' Bell Institute of Health and Nutrition.

Plant sterols are clinically proven cholesterol reducers. While results will vary by individual, studies have shown that eating 0.8 grams of plant sterols - which is the amount found in two servings of Yoplait Healthy Heart - each day over a period of as little as four weeks, may reduce LDL or "bad" cholesterol by an average of 6 percent.

"Often when women set out to lower their cholesterol through the foods they eat, they think they need to remove their favorites from their diet. With Yoplait Healthy Heart, they can continue to enjoy Yoplait yogurt while getting the cholesterol-lowering benefits of plant sterols," Storlie said. "The proven science behind plant sterols assures women that taking the simple step to make Yoplait Healthy Heart a part of their daily routine is not just a hopeful act, but a positive step they can take to lower their cholesterol and risk for heart disease."

Plant sterols naturally occur in certain foods. However, to get the same amount of plant sterols as two servings of Yoplait Healthy Heart through other foods, it would take any of the following:

-- 22 servings of Brussels sprouts; -- 24 servings of broccoli or cauliflower; -- 70 large carrots; -- 100 medium potatoes; -- 56 servings of wax beans; -- 44 medium apples; or -- 26 oranges.

"Yoplait is committed to making it easier for women to lower their heart disease risk through diet," said Arielle Loeb, marketing manager for Yoplait Healthy Heart. "Not only can women get the benefit of plant sterols in a delicious tasting yogurt, they can continue to get essential vitamins and minerals like calcium, vitamin D, phosphorus and vitamin A through yogurt. In addition to lowering cholesterol, Yoplait Healthy Heart provides nutrients important to help maintain bone health." 

About Yoplait

Yoplait is a part of the General Mills, Inc. portfolio of brands. Its product line includes Yoplait(R) Original, Light, Whips!(R), Thick 'N Creamy, Carb Monitor(TM), Nouriche(R), Grande!, Go-GURT(R), Trix(R), Yumsters(R) and now Yoplait Healthy Heart(TM). For more information and recipes, visit www.yoplait.com.

YOPLAIT, Go-GURT, Whips!, Nouriche, Yumsters and Yoplait Healthy Heart are trademarks of YOPLAIT Marques Internationales SAS (France) used under license.

(1) CDC, "Health, United States, 2004" (2) National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute