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The Usefulness of Plant Stanol Esters
Category: Conditions of the Circulatory System , Diet and Nutrition , Misc.
Plant stanols have been proven to effectively lower LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) in those persons with elevated serum cholesterol. This is usually accomplished by adding stanols to a dietary regimen on a daily basis. Further research into stanol esters has yielded the following three investigations in a single study design.
Researchers at the University of Texas investigated 3 metabolic interactions with plant stanol esters and cholesterol. First they tested the dose dependence relationship between stanols and LDL cholesterol. The usual dose recommended is 2 grams per day by the National Cholesterol Education Program. In this study, researchers tested doses greater than 2 grams per day to determine if a greater reduction in cholesterol could be obtained. In the second investigation, researchers examine the effects of adding plant stanols to the diet of postmenopausal women with high cholesterol. And for the final study, plant stanols were tested for efficacy in a sub-population of individuals with high cholesterol who are not responding to therapy with statin drugs.
The researchers found that doses greater than the recommended 2 grams per day do not produce additive results; therefore the current recommendation is best. They found that postmenopausal women (who are at low risk for heart disease) could benefit from dietary stanols by a 13% reduction in LDL cholesterol. This is seen as a healthy alternative to drug therapy for a population at low risk for heart disease. Finally, research showed that individuals with high cholesterol on statin drugs could benefit from the addition of stanols and show additional decreases in LDL cholesterol to acceptable levels in this population that was not responding to conventional statin drug therapy.
Overall, the beneficial effects of plant stanols for individuals with high cholesterol are numerous. Plant stanols are an effective safe treatment that produces substantial LDL cholesterol lowering ability. This research shows that stanols may be a superior choice for particular populations that either does not respond to conventional drug therapy or are less likely candidates for drug therapy.
Posted by Kristopher Foster on July 19, 2013 11:00 AM
