I am - which is why the phytosterolemia stuck with me (I've seen 1 case). I am not however a cardiologist, lipid specialist, or a general practitioner who deals with cholesterol.
I would like to say that Oscar is correct -- phytosterols are not cholesterol . Cholesterol is an animal product. I posted (a little hastily it turns out) because I wanted to point out that phytosterols (the plant equivalent of cholesterol) is not entirely benign. The data is mixed; It is not clear cut. I offer my opinion below -take it for what it's worth :-)
Sources: I read a couple of sources on pubmed (can't find those specific ones now) but am linking to another with full article access from a decent journal. Their results suggest phytosterols are normally protective, and they give good background explanation of the mixed history of this field and list those sources that argue against phytosterols being entirely good for you (articles 9-12, 26-29). One of the big studies they mention (the Framingham study) is one that has shaped US treatment strategies for multiple cardiac conditions.
The most interesting source I came across is the one where phytosterols were found in the vessel wall plaques that were removed during surgery. My personal opinion is that they are probably more beneficial than harmful because they outcompete cholesterol ... but because of their chemical similarity to cholesterol (they are the plant equivalents) the body can substitute it for cholesterol when and if it is available (turns out that is the trick - most people can get rid of phytosterols faster than most of it can be used, by it looks like at least some of it is still trapped in plaques etc). They are not entirely benign.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2817591/#!po=50.0000
Hi Oscar
Thanks for looking into that. I would have to say however that the interpretation is misleading. Phytosterols are a sterol compound chemically very similar to cholesterol, so similar in fact that they can lower intestinal absorption of dietary cholesterol by competing for the same receptors. In the 1990s and early 2000s there was a lot of excitement about phytosterols as a means to reduce ldl cholesterol. However, the more recent work has suggested that excess phytosterols, at least in some people, have resulted in an increased risk of coronary artery disease (basically the same thing that ldl cholesterol does; it is just not as efficient at causing the same buildup). Even at relatively low doses, though, phytosterols that are not deposited in vessel walls are still metabolized into bike salts. If someone has or is prone to gallstones (hardened accretions of bile salts and other liver excretions) then metabolized phytosterols will add to this underlying predisposition. Patients with phytosterolemia experience these symptoms because they absorb phytosterols at an increased rate and are unable to rapidly excrete them, allowing their bodies to treat them as other forms of cholesterol (and unfortunate for us it does not act like hdlbit rather can build up like ldl).
Not quite true. phytosterols are plant based sources of cholesterol and it is possible to have a phytosterolemia (too much phytosterols in the body).
:-)
-K
Yes deceptive labeling occurs on very many products. Another example are fruit and vegetable products that contain labeling that say "no cholesterol". But only animal products contain cholesterol.
I also get a lot of people asking me if the fruit seeds i sell are GMO or not? Really most consumers think that all fruits and vegetables now are genetically manipulated, but the percentage is really quite low. The chemical giants are still mostly interested in altering the major crops, like corn, soybeans, rice, cotton, rape seed (canola), etc. They are slowly branching out into genetically modifying the major fruits and vegetables. I wouldn't be surprised if GMO citrus comes on the scene in just a few years.
Similar is not the same as. And note that all the products say "no cholesterol", they don't ever say "no phytosterol". Usually phytosterol is claimed to lower cholesterol. From wikipedia:
The European Foods Safety Authority (EFSA) concluded that blood cholesterol can be reduced on average by 7 to 10.5% if a person consumes 1.5 to 2.4 grams of plant sterols and stanols per day, an effect usually established within 2–3 weeks. Longer-term studies extending up to 85 weeks showed that the cholesterol-lowering effect could be sustained.[9] Based on this and other efficacy data, the EFSA scientific panel provided the following health advisory: “Plant sterols have been shown to lower/reduce blood cholesterol. Blood cholesterol lowering may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease".
Thanks for the info. Are you a doctor? Where is this info coming from?
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