Effects of Plant Sterol and Stanol Consumption on Blood Pressure and Endothelial Function

The cholesterol lowering effects of plant sterols and stanols are a well-established complementary means by which to reduce blood cholesterol concentrations. The average reduction in LDL cholesterol concentrations is approximately -10% following a 28-day supplementation protocol. There is very little known regarding what, if any, effect plant sterols and stanols have on other cardiometabolic risk factors such as blood pressure and endothelial function. Here we review the available literature on this topic and attempt to draw conclusions regarding any benefit or risk for blood pressure and endothelial function linked to plant sterol and stanol supplementation. Generally there has been very little work focusing on changes in blood pressure or endothelial function following plant sterol or stanol intervention, but these factors have been measured in some cases as secondary outcomes. Overall, there is little evidence to support either positive or negative effects of plant sterol or stanol supplementation of blood pressure and the data surrounding endothelial function is quite inconclusive. This area of research would benefit from well controlled mechanistic studies in animals and primary interventions in humans which focus on ambulatory blood pressure, central blood pressure and endothelial function.