One type of phytonutrient is phyosterol, which exists in a lot of vegetables, fruits, seeds, nuts, cereals and legumes, and occurs throughout the plant kingdom. B-sitosterol, campesterol, and stigmasterol are the most typical phytosterols, and are known to be relatives of cholesterol that improve ones health. The differences between the chemical structure of cholesterol and that of phytosterols are very minute, but they are what determine the different impacts these phytosterols make.
Phytosterols perform much like cholesterol performs in animals and humans, in that they function to regulate the fluidity of cell membranes in plants. Researchers have paid a great amount of attention to phytosterols, since they are known for having the ability to help people maintain healthy blood cholesterol concentrations, healthy cardiovascular systems and healthy hearts. Phytosterols are able to reduce the availability of cholesterol to the body and could also inhibit a percentage of dietary cholesterol absorption because they interfere with intestinal recycling of cholesterol that is produced by the liver. This is most likely due to the fact that phytosterols are structurally similar to cholesterol. Some research shows that plant sterols can be effective regardless of when they are taken, however, other research shows that if they are divided in doses the beneficial effect they have will be greater. The most effective way of ingesting plant sterols is likely to be with or near a meal.
Virtually all of the research and all of the rigorous mathematical analyses of the research that have been conducted consistently show powerful associations between phytosterol consumption (in foods or in dietary supplements) and support of healthy blood cholesterol concentrations, healthy cardiovascular systems and healthy hearts.
U.S. FDA: “Phytosterols Lower LDL-Cholesterol”
After conducting an intensive and extensive detailed review of “the totality of publicly available scientific evidence,” the US Food and Drug Administration has concluded that 1) “there is significant scientific agreement to support a relationship between consumption of plant sterol esters (especially
