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Plant stanol ester


Stanol esters are a heterogeneous group of phytosterol esters with a saturated sterol ring structure known to reduce the level of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol in blood when ingested. Despite a well documented cholesterol lowering effect, there are no data available indicating that functional foods supplemented with plant sterol esters reduce cardiovascular events. They are used in food products such as Benecol.

Plant sterols are cholesterol-like molecules found in all plant foods, with the highest concentrations occurring in vegetable oils. Plant sterols are plant equivalents of cholesterol and have a very similar molecular structure. According to their structure, they can be divided into sterols and stanols, stanols being a saturated subgroup of sterols.

Plant stanols are present in small amounts in human diet. Their main sources are whole-grain foods, mostly wheat and rye. The daily intake of stanols in the average western diet is about 60 mg/d, whereas the intake of plant sterols is about 150–300 mg/d and that of cholesterol is 500–800 mg/d. The relatively low natural levels of stanols in the diet are too low to have a significant effect on serum cholesterol levels.

Plant sterols have traditionally been considered non-absorbable. In humans consuming solid food diets, more than 90% of sitosterol is recovered in the stool. Plant sterol absorption is quite low, particularly for stanols, for which the absorption efficiency is over 10 times lower than for the equivalent sterols. Plasma levels of fat-soluble vitamins and other vegetable-derived compounds have been studied following plant sterol ingestion due to concerns about the possibility of reduced absorption. Alpha- and beta-carotene are slightly reduced, although results have been inconsistent. However, no reduction in beta-carotene level was seen when plant sterols or plant stanols were consumed as part of a healthy diet containing fruits and vegetables.


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