Plant Sterols may be Atherogenic
There is new evidence to suggest that plant sterols used to reduce cholesterol levels, may actually contribute to atherosclerosis.
See article at: http://www.news-medical.net/?id=10846
New studies indicate that while plant sterols lower cholesterol, they are absorbed by the body and are being found in arterial plaque.
Plant sterols are a naturally ocurring substance found in very low levels in plants.
The role of plant sterols in atherosclerosis isn't yet understood, but it does cast a shadow on the use of plant sterols in large doses in food supplements to lower cholesterol.
Might they be doing as much harm as good? We don't know yet.
On the othe side of the coin, plant stanols are virtually unabsorbable by the body, and to date, plant stanols have not been detected in arterial plaque.
That's the good news. The bad news is that plant stanols require more processing, and they are very hard to find in the States with the exception of Benecol spreads. Benecol currently offers a fat free product, but they are discontinuing it because of poor sales.
Plant sterol products on the other hand, are very easy to find.
See article at: http://www.news-medical.net/?id=10846
New studies indicate that while plant sterols lower cholesterol, they are absorbed by the body and are being found in arterial plaque.
Plant sterols are a naturally ocurring substance found in very low levels in plants.
The role of plant sterols in atherosclerosis isn't yet understood, but it does cast a shadow on the use of plant sterols in large doses in food supplements to lower cholesterol.
Might they be doing as much harm as good? We don't know yet.
On the othe side of the coin, plant stanols are virtually unabsorbable by the body, and to date, plant stanols have not been detected in arterial plaque.
That's the good news. The bad news is that plant stanols require more processing, and they are very hard to find in the States with the exception of Benecol spreads. Benecol currently offers a fat free product, but they are discontinuing it because of poor sales.
Plant sterol products on the other hand, are very easy to find.
posted by Mark Tyler at 10:29 AM
1 Comments:
While numerous studies have shown that plant sterols can be effective in inhibiting the absorption of dietary cholesterol, there is also emerging evidence that plant sterols may actually contribute to the formation of plaque, otherwise known as "atherosclerosis".
A very thoughtful paper entitled "Phytosterols and vascular disease" by Dr. Manoj Patel of Hartford Hospital was accepted on October of 2005 for publication in Reed Elsevier's very prestigious journal 'Atherosclerosis'.
Amazingly, Dr. Patel cites numerous studies dating back, in some cases 10 or more years, that actually suggest that plant sterols may actually contribute to the development of atherosclerosis, the very disease that they touted to be protective against.
Post a Comment
<< Home