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Plant sterols and atherosclerosis
Günther Silbernagel1, Bernd Genser, Paul Nestel
1Division of Endocrinology, Diabetology, Nephrology, Vascular Disease, and Clinical Chemistry, Department of Internal Medicine, Eberhard-Karls-University Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany. guenther.silbernagel@med.uni-tuebingen.de
Current Opinion in Lipidology
|November 21, 2012
Summary
Plant sterols effectively lower LDL cholesterol. Current evidence suggests they are safe and beneficial for cardiovascular health, though large-scale trials confirming prevention of major cardiovascular events are still needed.
Area of Science:
- Nutritional Science
- Cardiovascular Research
- Genetics
Background:
- Plant sterols are recommended for reducing LDL cholesterol.
- Safety concerns regarding plant sterol consumption persist.
- Genetic associations with circulating plant sterols and cardiovascular risk are complex.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the safety and efficacy of plant sterols for cardiovascular health.
- To review current evidence on plant sterols' impact on LDL cholesterol and vascular disease.
- To address ongoing discussions about the safety of plant sterol use.
Main Methods:
- Review of genetic analyses, population studies, and experimental research.
- Analysis of food frequency questionnaires and dietary intervention studies.
- Examination of associations between gene variants (ABCG8, ABO) and cardiovascular risk markers.
Main Results:
- Genetic studies show links between ABCG8/ABO variants, elevated plant sterols, and cardiovascular risk, but causality is not proven.
- Moderately elevated circulating plant sterols are not correlated with vascular disease in the general population.
- Novel studies support beneficial effects of plant sterol ingestion on cardiovascular health.
Conclusions:
- Current evidence supports using plant sterols to lower LDL cholesterol.
- Plant sterols are generally considered safe and potentially beneficial for cardiovascular health.
- A definitive, large-scale trial demonstrating plant sterol prevention of cardiovascular endpoints is still lacking.
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