The effects of higher serum plant sterol levels are so far not completely understood.

Furthermore, several epidemiological studies have shown that the risk of developing heart disease seems to be increased even at more "normal" plant sterol levels.

Replace them with canola oil, olive oil, or plant sterol spreads.

But what's a plant sterol or stanol?

Important: Ergosterol is not a plant sterol.

In these studies, though, the plant sterol levels were not as high as those seen in phytosterolemia.

Plant stanol reduce both cholesterol and plant sterol levels in serum.

Several other studies have suggested elevated plant sterol levels may be a risk factor for CVD.

Some researchers, however, are concerned about diet supplementation with plant sterol esters and draw attention to lack of long-term safety data.

Law M. Plant sterol and stanol margarines and health.

Plant sterol esters.

Plant sterol esters used for dietary supplements are made from phytosterols and fatty acids also derived from plants.

Plant sterol levels in the blood have been shown to be positively, negatively or not associated with CVD risk, depending on the study population investigated.

One possibility, also described in today's journal, involves a margarine that has been stoked with a derivative of a plant sterol called sitostanol ester.

FDA authorizes new coronary heart disease health claim for plant sterol and plant stanol esters.

Dose-dependent cholesterol-lowering effect of a mayonnaise-type product with a main component of diacylglycerol-containing plant sterol esters.

Do not confuse sitostanol with beta-sitosterol, an unsaturated plant sterol in the cholesterol-lowering margarine Take Control.

This may be of importance since elevated plant sterol concentrations have been identified as an independent risk factor for coronary heart disease (CHD).

A more relevant question raised in this study is whether the plant sterol accumulation in hypertensive rat strains has significance in the pathophysiology of hypertension.

Plant sterol esters have been shown to reduce the level of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol in blood when ingested.

Plant sterol esters or plant stanol esters have been added to some margarines and spreads because of their cholesterol lowering effect.

Plasma levels of fat-soluble vitamins and other vegetable-derived compounds have been studied following plant sterol ingestion due to concerns about the possibility of reduced absorption.

Plant sterol absorption is quite low, particularly for stanols, for which the absorption efficiency is over 10 times lower than for the equivalent sterols.

This rule is based on the FDA's conclusion that plant sterol esters may reduce the risk of CHD by lowering blood cholesterol levels.

Because plant sterol levels actually reflect cholesterol absorption, some have concluded elevated cholesterol absorption, not plant sterols are atherogenic or otherwise associated with CVD risk.