An artificial sweetener that's been shown to help people shed unwanted pounds may also lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels in people with mild or borderline high blood pressure. The sugar substitute is called oligofructose, or OFS. It's used to replace fat or sugar and reduce the calories of foods like ice cream, dairy products and baked goods. OFS has about 30 to 50 percent of the sweetness of table sugar.
 
Participants in the study dropped an average of 6.9 pionts in their systolic blood pressure and 7.3 points in the diastolic blood pressure. Levels of cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL or "bad" cholesterol), and triglycerides also dropped, and participants experienced weight loss.

This article originally appeared in the December 2009 issue of AAKP Diet Tips & Bits.