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What Are Plant Sterols?

Plant sterols are believed to help in controlling cholesterol levels. Including plant sterols in your daily diet is a step towards better heart health and lower cholesterol levels.

  1. What Is A Plant Sterol?

    • The membranes of plant cells contain a naturally-occurring compound known as a plant sterol. What cholesterol is to living creatures, sterols are to the plant world.

    Function

    • Plant sterols block the absorption of the cholesterol you ingest, as well as that made naturally by your body. Your intestines do not absorb plant sterol, instead routing it back through the digestive track to continue blocking cholesterol.

    Sterols In Food

    • Sterols occur naturally in many of the foods you eat. They are present in nuts, seeds, cereals, fruits and vegetables.

    As A Supplement

    • Companies including Cognis, Forbes-Medi-Tech, Archer Daniels Midland and Cargil have shown interest in adding sterols to foods to easily increase the amount ingested as part of daily food intake.

    How Much Do You Need?

    • One to two grams of plant sterols daily are needed to result in a lowering of LDL cholesterol, an amount which would be hard to get in your unsupplemented diet. Business Week magazine (April 2005) reported that 12 ounces of an enhanced yogurt would provide 0.8 grams of plant sterols, which is equal to 22 servings of brussels sprouts, 70 large carrots, 40-plus apples, or 26 oranges.

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