Stroll through the grocery aisles and you’ll find labels proclaiming the health benefits of plant sterols on everything from buttery spreads to chocolate bars. But are these substances—billed as natural cholesterol-busting wonders—really everything they’re cracked up to be?
“Maybe,” says Anne Carol Goldberg, M.D., an associate professor of medicine in the division of endocrinology, metabolism, and lipid research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. “If you use these products on a daily basis as directed, you can reduce your cholesterol by up to 10 percent.”
Plant sterols, or phytosterols, are tasteless, odorless substances found in fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, and other plant sources. Structurally, they are similar to the cholesterol our livers produce.
Our bodies do not readily absorb plant sterols, however, quickly flushing them from our systems. When they’re incorporated into fat-containing foods like margarine spreads (products such as Benecol and Take Control) or yogurt, our bodies can utilize them to lower levels of LDL (“bad”) cholesterol. Scientists also are able to change the molecular structure of plant sterols to make them available in products like orange juice.
Clinical studies show that consuming 2–3 grams of plant sterols a day can cause a 10 percent LDL reduction in four weeks. A typical margarine spread fortified with plant sterols contains 1–2 grams per tablespoon.
They even work in conjunction with prescription statin drugs. “They’re worthwhile if you’re trying to get a further reduction in bad cholesterol through your diet,” Goldberg says.
Although plant sterols don’t appear to pose long-term health risks to adults or children, the American Heart Association recommends that their use be limited to adults who need to lower their cholesterol levels because they are at high risk of a heart attack or have had a heart attack.
As helpful as these foods can be, they cannot counteract an otherwise unhealthy diet or the effects of smoking. And since they do not block fat or sugar or cut calories, enjoy them in moderation.
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