Benecol Smart Chews, Caramel, 120-Count Soft Chews
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List Price: Our Price: $25.99 You Save: $4.00 (13%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Health Care See more product details |
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Customer Reviews of Benecol Smart Chews, Caramel, 120-Count Soft Chews
Customer Review: Lowered cholesterol for me better than diet & exercise!
Summary: 5 Stars
I have had high cholesterol since my 20's but the ratios were good so my doctor didn't recommend medication until age 45. Since I didn't want to take medication, I went on a strict low cholesterol diet and exercised 5 days a week for 45 - 60 minutes a day and lost 16 pounds and am at my goal weight and my cholesterol gradually went down (10-12 points every 3 months#. After a year of stict low cholesterol diet and exercise, my doctor said I would not have to take the medication. My total cholesterol was 199. Diet alone would does not work for my cholesterol levels. As soon as I stopped exercising as much, the cholesterol levels went back up. Then I decided to try Benecol and am I glad I did. My total cholesterol went down to 176 in 3 months and the bad cholesterol was lower than ever and the good was even higher and all this without any exercise and after adding in back all the foods I had done without for years! I take 2 chews before lunch and 2 chews before dinner every day and that works best for me. When I tried to take 1 chew before lunch and 1 before dinner, my total cholesterol went back up quite a bit #in only 3 months) so I switched back to 2 chews before each meal where I'm eating food with cholesterol. I highly recommend this product and can't wait to go back to the doctor again to see if it has gone even lower!Customer Review: reformulation is terrible
Summary: 1 Stars
I've been taking these for over a year, and possibly my chol. has been lowered a little, but who knows really? I hate taking them, but the alternative is statins. (Another alternative is to ignore cholesterol levels, which may well have nothing to do with heart disease risk if there are no other risk factors, particularly in women.) The new product is greasy, even on the outside, and takes soap to wash off my hands. It could be the glycerin, but why? I called the company (there is a toll-free number on the box) to complain about the taste and consistency and ingredients! They confirmed the reformulation. They "noted" my comments and sent me a refund for one of the boxes. It's unlikely anything will change because they just reformulated. The sugar content is the same, but they taste even sweeter than before. They are granular now, where before they were smooth. The shape is different but who cares (except they were interested in what I thought about that!). Mostly why do they have to put all that corn syrup and sugar in (I told them adults were taking this, not children), and why any dye (yellow #5). I urge you to call and complain, they said all the calls had to do with help in finding the product. When I asked why it was only available online the answer was it's always been that way.Customer Review: Benocol chews have been reformulated and they are disgusting!
Summary: 1 Stars
I'm sure I won't be the only one that stops using this product after they changed the shape and more importantly the flavor of the chews. I just received my most recent shipment of the chews on November 4th, 2010 and I noticed the size of the individually wrapped chews was now rectangular. My first thought was no worries, it's all good new shape, same great product. But once popped that Carmel colored rectangle into my mouth I quickly realized that Benecol had changed the flavor of the chew from caramel, to something that tasted like a combination of butter, sugar and caramel flavoring and in a word, YUCK!
The old chews tasted exactly like a piece of caramel, they were actually pretty tasty and even though it helped lower my cholesterol, I actually enjoyed them as a treat. Now I'll have to find something else because I just can't bring myself to eat something that tastes as bad as these things.
It will be interesting to see how long it takes for Benecol to change the formula again, because I'm willing to bet that the popularity of the product plummets now that it no longer tastes good. Brain dead move Benecol, no doubt someone loses their job over this blunder!
Customer Review: Great taste and simple to use
Summary: 4 Stars
I just received my first order of the Benecol smart chews and they tast great. A nice smooth caramel texture that melts in your mouth.
OK, so compared to most of the other posts, my cholesterol levels are not too high but my doctor says it's high. One of my biggest problems is keeping my HDL (good) greater than 40. So when I read the Benecol website and it said this would help lower my LDL (Bad) and not my HDL I thought why not try them out. I already eat well balanced meals and walk 5 times a week for 30 minutes. In addition, prior to my most recent blood test I was able to loose 15lbs. Now at 5'2" I weight my ideal weight of 110lbs. Yet my cholesterol levels have not gone down.
My last test was on 10/28/08
TOTAL CHOLESTEROL = 214 goal less than 200
HDL CHOLESTEROL = 40 goal greater than 40
LDL CHOLESTEROL = 145 goal less than 130
TRIGLYCERIDES = 146 goal less than 150
My next test will not be until April so I plan on adding all bran to my breakfast and taking 3 Benecol chews a day. I will update you with my results in April 2009. If they do manage to reduce my numbers I will be more than willing to give this product 5 stars.
Customer Review: A good option to lower your cholesterol
Summary: 5 Stars
I was diagnosed with high cholesterol earlier this year. 300 total, and low HDL level. I took some aggressive steps to adjust my diet and to start exercising more, and began taking phytosterols. But I came across many reports that warned how sterols passed through the colon and could accumulate in the arteries much like cholesterol. Stanols, on the other hand, are not absorbed in the colon, yet provided the same protection from cholesterol. So I switched to Benecol. I used their margarine because the Chews weren't available since March, but it looks like they finally started stocking the Chews again. FYI, my last checkup showed a 20% drop in total cholesterol, and my HDL/total ratio is up to 4:1, which my doctor said is good. I'm hoping my next checkup will be even better.
BTW, be careful of misinformation from reviewers. Sterols and stanols are not the same, and the literature bears this fact out. Do your own research, and read CAREFULLY, and use your best judgement. Eat well, exercise, have a glass of red wine every night :) and find supplements that can help. Avoid statins if at all possible!