- Phytosterols, also called plant sterols, are a group of chemicals that occur naturally in plant-based foods such as fruits, vegetables, soybeans, breads, peanuts, peanut products, olive, flaxseed oil, and tuna.
- Beta-sitosterol is one of the most common dietary phytosterols and is classified as a noncholesterol sterol, or neutral sterol. However, it is structurally similar to cholesterol and is the main sterol in the Western diet.
- Margarines enriched with phytosterol have been marketed for their cholesterol-lowering effects. The U.S. Food and Drug Association (FDA) has authorized the use of labeling health claims for foods containing plant sterols and plant stanol esters. Sitosterols are also used in products for the treatment of other health disorders, including, but not limited to, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), and for immune stimulation. However, more research is needed on the use of plant sterols for these conditions in humans.
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Phytosterols
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- Doornbos AM, Meynen EM, Duchateau GS, et al. Intake occasion affects the serum cholesterol lowering of a plant sterol-enriched single-dose yoghurt drink in mildly hypercholesterolaemic subjects. Eur J Clin Nutr 2006;60(3):325-333. View Abstract
- Ellegard L, Sunesson A, Bosaeus I. High serum phytosterol levels in short bowel patients on parenteral nutrition support. Clin.Nutr. 2005;24(3):415-420. View Abstract
- Gerber GS. Phytotherapy for benign prostatic hyperplasia. Curr Urol Rep 2002;3(4):285-291. View Abstract
- Gylling H, Pyrhonen S, Mantyla E, et al. Tamoxifen and toremifene lower serum cholesterol by inhibition of delta 8-cholesterol conversion to lathosterol in women with breast cancer. J Clin Oncol 1995;13(12):2900-2905. View Abstract
- Hallikainen MA, Sarkkinen ES, Gylling H, et al. Comparison of the effects of plant sterol ester and plant stanol ester-enriched margarines in lowering serum cholesterol concentrations in hypercholesterolaemic subjects on a low-fat diet. Eur J Clin Nutr 2000;54(9):715-725. View Abstract
- Homma Y, Ikeda I, Ishikawa T, et al. Decrease in plasma low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, apolipoprotein B, cholesteryl ester transfer protein, and oxidized low-density lipoprotein by plant stanol ester-containing spread: a randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Nutrition 2003;19(4):369-374. View Abstract
- Judd JT, Baer DJ, Chen SC, et al. Plant sterol esters lower plasma lipids and most carotenoids in mildly hypercholesterolemic adults. Lipids 2002;37(1):33-42. View Abstract
- Lau VW, Journoud M, Jones PJ. Plant sterols are efficacious in lowering plasma LDL and non-HDL cholesterol in hypercholesterolemic type 2 diabetic and nondiabetic persons. Am J Clin Nutr 2005;81(6):1351-1358. View Abstract
- Lee YM, Haastert B, Scherbaum W, et al. A phytosterol-enriched spread improves the lipid profile of subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus--a randomized controlled trial under free-living conditions. Eur J Nutr 2003;42(2):111-117. View Abstract
- Martikainen JA, Ottelin AM, Kiviniemi V, et al. Plant stanol esters are potentially cost-effective in the prevention of coronary heart disease in men: Bayesian modelling approach. Eur J Cardiovasc Prev Rehabil 2007;14(2):265-272. View Abstract
- Noakes M, Clifton PM, Doornbos AM,et al. Plant sterol ester-enriched milk and yoghurt effectively reduce serum cholesterol in modestly hypercholesterolemic subjects. Eur J Nutr 2005;44(4):214-222. View Abstract
- Ntanios FY, Homma Y, Ushiro SA. A spread enriched with plant sterol-esters lowers blood cholesterol and lipoproteins without affecting vitamins A and E in normal and hypercholesterolemic Japanese men and women. J Nutr 2002;132(12):3650-3655. View Abstract
- Seki S, Hidaka I, Kojima K, et al. Effects of phytosterol ester-enriched vegetable oil on plasma lipoproteins in healthy men. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr 2003;12(3):282-291. View Abstract
- Williams CL, Bollella MC, Strobino BA, et al. Plant stanol ester and bran fiber in childhood: effects on lipids, stool weight and stool frequency in preschool children. J Am Coll Nutr 1999;18(6):572-581. View Abstract
- Yoshida M, Vanstone CA, Parsons WD, et al. Effect of plant sterols and glucomannan on lipids in individuals with and without type II diabetes. Eur J Clin Nutr 2006;60(4):529-537. View Abstract
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