LIPIDS AND HEALTH - STATE OF THE ART - PLANT STEROLS AND SERUM CHOLESTEROL

摘要

Plant sterols (phytosterols, including mainly campesterol and sitosterol), obtained from vegetable material of normal food, significantly lower serum cholesterol level by inhibiting cholesterol absorption. Addition of phytosterols as fat-soluble plant stanol (delta 5-saturated 5-alfa phytosterols) esters, for instance as plant stanol ester margarine, lower serum total cholesterol by up to 15%. Plant stanol ester margarine has been marketed for cholesterol lowering since 1995. Similar cholesterol lowering results have obtained with plant sterol esters in short term studies, but in long term experiments the effects appear to be lower than those obtained by plant stanols. The latter ones inhibit also plant sterol absorption lowering serum plant sterol contents, while the plant sterols are slightly absorbed such that plant sterol ester consumption increases their own serum levels.