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Phytosterols

What are Phytosterols?

Phytosterols are a natural plant compounds present in small amounts in our diet products such as sunflower oil and soybeans, very similar to human cholesterol.

What properties are the phytosterols?

The main one is that block cholesterol absorption in the intestine.

Cholesterol itself is not bad, in fact essential for life as part of our cells. What may be harmful are excessive levels of cholesterol and / or the imbalance between different types of cholesterol (HDL and LDL)

cholesterol in our body is subjected to metabolism, a closely defined specific routes of absorption, synthesis, distribution and excretion. On the one hand, the cholesterol can be taken as such in food content of the diet (exogenous cholesterol) or we can synthesize (endogenous cholesterol), in fact this is the way that contributes most to the overall amount of cholesterol in our body.

Part of the unused cholesterol to be excreted into the intestine in the bile of intact or degraded into bile acids. In the small part of this cholesterol will turn again to absorb (with exogenous cholesterol taken in the diet) and another part is eventually excreted in feces. 100% of the cholesterol absorption in the intestine will be between 30 - 60%.
Plant Phytosterols are poorly absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract (although it is chemically almost identical to cholesterol), so its hypocholesterolemic action appears limited to the intestine, where it inhibits the absorption of c olesterol both endogenous and exogenous. The mechanisms by which this effect is not known in detail, may reduce the solubility of cholesterol and / or compete with cholesterol for absorption by the intestinal mucosa.

cardiovascular health is obviously one of the most important facets of a person's general health (and life expectancy), and one of the most determinants of cardiovascular health is the overall level of plasma cholesterol and the ratio between "good" cholesterol (HDL) and bad (LDL)

Within a balanced diet for anyone, especially when there hypercholesterolemia could be included, besides of course a lot of fruit and vegetables low in saturated fat, foods that help cholesterol balance, such as olive oil, soy protein foods (such as soy milk, tofu, etc.) or nuts (almonds and hazelnuts are rich in oleic acid and the amino acid L-arginine).

to take account of phytosterols

Although products based on phytosterols can help lower your cholesterol, remember that a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle (not smoking, exercising moderately, control stress, etc.) are not interchangeable with anything.

Phytosterol intake may not be nutritionally appropriate for pregnant women and nursing mothers and children under 5 years.

Phytosterols may be associated with a decrease in the absorption of carotenoids. Therefore always recommend a healthy diet rich in vegetables and fruit.