What it is: A new low-fat, sugar-sweetened yogurt with added plant sterols.

Why sterols? Because a number of studies indicate that plant-sterol extracts may help lower LDL, or "bad," cholesterol, in people whose diets are low in saturated fat and cholesterol.

What they are: Plant sterols are compounds found in many fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, cereals, legumes and vegetable oils. Sterol source for this product: vegetable oil.

How much sterol? A typical American diet provides about 0.25 gram of plant sterol daily, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture report.

Yoplait Healthy Heart contains 0.4 grams of sterol per 6-ounce, single-serving carton. The label says that consuming 0.8 grams of sterol by eating two cartons a day (at different meals) while on a low-cholesterol, low-saturated fat diet may lower heart-disease risk.

What the government says: The Food and Drug Administration allows a product label to claim reduced risk of heart disease from added plant sterol, provided the product contains at least 0.4 grams of sterol per serving and the label notes that the heart benefit is linked to consuming at least 0.8 grams of sterol per day.

But this doesn't mean you can eat just anything and still get the potential heart benefit. The FDA requires that any label making the claim also note that the reduced risk comes when a person is on a low-saturated-fat and low-cholesterol diet, as the Yoplait label states.

Other products: A number of other processed foods, notably certain margarines and salad dressings, also have begun to appear claiming added sterols.

Taste: Yoplait Healthy Heart comes in four flavors: Cherry Orchard, Harvest Peach, Strawberry and Strawberry Banana. When the first two were sampled at The Seattle Times, they were found to be similar in taste and texture to Yoplait yogurts without added sterols.

Cost: Yoplait Healthy Heart generally costs about 10 cents more per 6-ounce carton than other, same-size Yoplait yogurts.

Note: If you take a cholesterol-lowering medication, it's a good idea to consult your doctor before making dietary changes.