Why should high cholesterol people take phytosterol？

Why should high cholesterol people take phytosterol？

Brief content of this article:

1. The incidence of hypercholesterolemia is increasing year by year and tends to be younger.

2. Phytosterol can effectively reduce cholesterol, so as to achieve the purpose of preventing and treating cardiovascular diseases. 2g of plant sterols per day can reduce LDL-C by 10%, and the incidence of coronary heart disease can be reduced by 10-20%.

3. Phytosterol reduce cholesterol by inhibiting cholesterol absorption, reducing cholesterol synthesis, and promoting cholesterol excretion.

4. People with hyperlipidemia or hypercholesterolemia, elderly people with weakened lipid metabolism, and people who usually eat a greasy diet are recommended to increase their intake through dietary supplements or phytosterol-fortified foods.

For people who eat meat every meal, it is recommended that you have a regular physical examination, even if you are young, even if you do not look fat.Everyone needs to face up to the fact that some diseases of old age are getting younger, especially hypercholesterolemia. The trouble with this type of chronic disease is that it doesn't feel as quickly as a cold does. Usually, there are no obvious signs of the disease early on, and it often goes unnoticed for years or even decades before reappearing.

Too much sand will clog up river, too much cholesterol will lock blood vessels.

Age, gender, genetic factors, dietary habits and so on are related to the production of these diseases. Some congenital conditions we can do nothing about, but can gradually improve from the acquired factors - the first should reflect on is bad eating habits.

Today's fried chicken, barbecue and others,high cholesterol & saturated fat diet is one of the biggest drivers behind hypercholesterolemia.

When it comes to high cholesterol, one substance has to be mentioned: phytosterols(plant sterols).

What is phytosterols?  Why does eating 2-3g plant sterols per day reduce LDL-C?  Who should take phytosterols?

Ⅰ. Plant sterols - the nemesis of cholesterol

Chemically, phytosterols and cholesterol are like twin brothers. Phytosterols in plant kingdom and cholesterol in animal kingdom.

(The main components of phytosterol：β-sitosterol,stigamaterol,campesterol,brassicasterol. )

Phytosterols is found in a wide variety of plant foods: rice oil, corn oil, sesame oil, vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, and grains.

A large number of epidemiological data and experimental studies have shown that phytosterol can effectively reduce the incidence of some chronic diseases, such as coronary arteriosclerotic heart disease, cancer and so on. And in a certain range, the effect of phytosterol shows a significant dose effect, so it is recommended that phytosterol should eat a certain amount every day in order to play the maximum value.

The recommendation of the European Atherosclerosis Society (EAS) is to eat 2g phytosterol per day, LDL-C can be reduced by 10% and the incidence of coronary heart disease can be reduced by 10-20%. American FDA approved Health Claims: A daily minimum intake of 1.3g phytosterol esters (or 0.8g free sterols) + a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol can reduce the risk of heart disease.

The Specific Proposed Levels (SPL) of phytosterol in Chinese DRIs (2013) is 0.9g per day (or 1.5g per day of phytosterol ester), and it is recommended to adopt a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol to prevent and reduce the occurrence of cardiovascular diseases.

Ⅱ.How do phytosterol lower cholesterol?

① Inhibiting the absorption of cholesterol:

Phytosterol and cholesterol have very similar structures, so they have a competitive relationship during the metabolic process. However, phytosterol have better hydrophobicity, so they always have an advantage in competition, occupying the metabolic system first and pushing cholesterol away.

② Reduce cholesterol synthesis:

Cholesterol can be synthesized in the liver, and phytosterol can inhibit the rate-limiting enzyme activity during endogenous cholesterol synthesis, thereby reducing its synthesis.

③ Accelerate cholesterol excretion:

When the cholesterol content is too high, phytosterol can promote the conversion of excess cholesterol into bile acids in the body, which are then excreted, reducing the level of cholesterol in the body.

In addition, although phytosterol compete with cholesterol for absorption, they do not participate in the next step of metabolism. Their absorption rate in the human gastrointestinal tract is very low, less than 5% (cholesterol absorption rate is as high as 40%). The absorbed phytosterols are converted into bile acids and excreted, and the remaining unabsorbed phytosterols are also excreted with feces.

III. Who should supplement phytosterol?

It is recommended that these types of people supplement their daily intake of phytosterols while adhering to a reasonable diet:

① People with hyperlipidemia or hypercholesterolemia;

② Elderly people with weakened lipid metabolism ability;

③ People who usually eat more animal based foods and have a greasy diet.

Healthy individuals can also supplement with phytosterols as needed to maintain blood lipid balance. For example, after occasionally eating high-fat and high-fat meals, in addition to effectively reducing serum cholesterol and LDL-C, studies have also found that phytosterol can reduce weight, male prostate enlargement, reduce the incidence of some cancers (such as prostate cancer, ovarian cancer, gastric cancer, etc.), have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. Regular intake of phytosterols is also very helpful for the prevention of some chronic diseases.

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Being able to obtain phytosterols from natural ingredients is certainly the best. But unfortunately, although phytosterols(plant sterols) come from plants, the amount of phytosterols we can obtain from three meals a day is very small, averaging less than 400mg per day. The largest proportion of phytosterol consumed through daily diet is vegetable oil (about 46%), followed by grains (about 39%). The amount provided by other foods is very small, so it is difficult to supplement the effective dose solely from food sources.

In order to solve the problem of insufficient diet, many countries actively develop phytosterol as dietary supplements, or add them as functional ingredients to various foods such as vegetable butter, milk, yogurt, spreads, salad dressings, edible oils, etc. We can pay more attention to the product which packages or labels in our daily lives. If it is indicated that phytosterol have been added, it can be used as one of the selection criteria.

Vita Solar Biotechnology is a professional supplier in phytosterol：

·Plant sterol from soybean,pinetree,rapeseeds,cottonseeds,corn and so on.

·Different assay,different specifications,different forms, granular,powder,micropowder,cold water dispersible(cwd).

·Beta-sitosterol, stigmasterol, cosmetic grade phytosterol, food grade phytosterol.

Anyway,if you need any help about phytosterol,pls feel free to contact：jessie@vita-solarbio.com.