Phytosterols Help Fight Heart Disease

HELSINKI—Phytosterols, plant-derived compounds that are similar in structure and function to cholesterol, inhibit the absorption of cholesterol and appear to fight heart disease.

To learn more about the occurrence of these important compounds, researchers examined the phytosterol contents of multiple varieties of winter and spring wheat, durum wheat, spelt, einkorn and emmer wheat. They found considerable variation in total phytosterol contents in all types, ranging from 670 to 959 μg/g of dm sterols in winter wheat and from 797 to 949 μg/g of dm in spring wheat. The highest sterol contents were found in spelt, durum wheat, and einkorn wheat. The most abundant phytosterol is sitosterol. The study may provide a valuable basis for plant breeding and selection of phytosterol-rich grains.

Source: American Chemical Society: Phytosterols in Wheat Genotypes in the HEALTHGRAIN Diversity Screen