Stanols and Sterols in Cholesterol Lowering Foods

March 28, 2008

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We have heard a lot recently about cholesterol lowering foods, in particularly stanols and sterols. What are these phytosterols and how do they help with reducing cholesterol levels?

This is a topic about which I know quite a bit. Once a year I teach medical students about treatments for hyperlipidemias (high lipid or fats). Blood lipids are cholesterol and triglycerides. High cholesterol is associated with cardiovascular disease and contributes to atherosclerosis. I could say a lot more but the point of this post is cholesterol lowering foods, so perhaps another day I will give more information about cholesterol.

One group of foods that have cholesterol lowering potential is those that contain stanols and sterols. These are also known as phytosterols and are found in plants. The stanols and sterols have a structure similar to cholesterol.

Phytosterols block uptake of some of the cholesterol in the intestine, when foods that contain cholesterol are eaten. (Major dietary sources of cholesterol are meats, dairy and shrimp. Plants do not contain cholesterol.) Any cholesterol that is blocked form uptake by the phytosterols just passes on through the gut and out, with all the other stuff that is not absorbed. In this way less cholesterol is taken up by the body, and this may help lower blood cholesterol levels.

Which foods contain stanols and sterols? All plants contain phytosterols, however in many plants the levels are very low. Avocados are one of the foods with the highest level of sterol. They contain about 100 milligrams of beta sitosterol per 4 oz serving. Other foods that contain both sterols and stanols are vegetable oils including soy and corn oils and nuts. Grains contain smaller amounts.

Recently stanol esters have been added to a number of foods to help with cholesterol reduction. The original foods marketed that contained stanol esters were margarines (or often called spreads). The first margarine was Benecol which was first sold in Scandinavia, in Finland. The stanol esters in Benecol are from processing of pine trees. In the US the other spread that was early into the market was Take Control from Unilever, which is manufactured from soybeans. Stanol esters are now found in a number of products such as other spreads, yogurt and energy bars and will soon be incorporated into a wider range of foods including pasta.

Many of the foods containing significant levels phytosterols are quite high in calories so they should be eaten in moderation as part of a balanced diet.

photo credit: .meow!.