Cholesterol: Plant Sterols

A German study looked at the effects of a soy drink enriched with plant sterols. Plant sterols are commonly used as an effective replacement for statins.¹⁷ The randomized, placebo-controlled, double blind, mono-centric study assigned 50 moderately hypercholesterolemic subjects to 200 ml of a soy drink either enriched with 2.6 g of plant sterol esters (1.6 g/d free plant sterol equivalents) or without plant sterols (control) for eight weeks.

At the end of the eight weeks, regular consumption of the soy drink enriched with plant sterols significantly reduced LDL cholesterol. Total cholesterol and non-HDL concentrations decreased and mean reductions in total, LDL and non-HDL cholesterol were significantly greater than in the placebo group, but HDL and triglycerides were not affected. Similarly, in a placebo-controlled study subjects given 1 g of plant sterols in 240 mL of reduced-calorie juice twice daily for eight weeks exhibited significant reductions in total and LDL cholesterol and increases in HDL cholesterol.¹⁸

A randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled, two-period cross-over trial out of Paris examined the efficacy of a low-fat spread enriched with plant sterols in reducing total and LDL concentrations in primary hypercholesterolemia as well as whether patients receiving a lipid-lowering drug (fibrate) might differ in their response to plant sterols.¹⁹

Researchers found the spread enriched with plant sterol esters significantly lowered blood total and LDL levels without affecting HDL concentrations. In addition, a combination of fibrate treatment and plant sterol ester-supplemented spread offered a safe and effective measure to significantly decrease abnormally high cholesterol levels. It was concluded phytosterol-enriched spread is a useful adjunctive therapy for hypercholesterolemic patients.

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