To Improve Heart Health, Phytosterols Are Added To Food and Supplements

 

Phytosterols 

Phytosterols are stanols and sterols found in plants that resemble cholesterol. Phytosterols prevent intestinal absorption of dietary cholesterol, thereby lowering the risk of obesity, by displacing cholesterol from micelles. Phytosterols can be found in reasonable amounts in unrefined vegetable oils, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and legumes. Consumers are increasingly worried about obesity, particularly in developed nations like North America and Europe. According to popular belief, phytosterols can replace margarine in dairy and confectionery products without having any negative effects on the products' cholesterol content.

These substances are known to reduce cholesterol absorption, thereby lowering cholesterol levels. Regarding precisely how phytosterols can impact your health, research has produced contradictory results. A family of molecules related to cholesterol is known as Phytosterols, also referred to as plant sterols. They naturally occur in a wide range of plants. They play a significant structural role in cell membranes, much like cholesterol. The most prevalent phytosterols derived from plants that you consume are campesterol, beta-sitosterol, and stigmasterol. They are naturally present in foods like nuts, seeds, and vegetable oils, and some processed foods like margarine also contain them.

Types of Phytosterols-

·        β-Sitosterol

·        Campesterol

·        Stigmasterol

Phytosterols are frequently touted as a way to enhance heart health and lower blood levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol because they can prevent the absorption of cholesterol. However, compared to around 50% of cholesterol, only about 2% of phytosterols found in food are thought to be absorbed by your body.

Phytosterols are present in significant amounts in many nutritious plant foods, including-

·        Nuts: hazelnuts, pistachios, macadamia nuts, almonds, cashews, and peanuts

·        Pumpkin, sunflower, and watermelon seeds are examples of seeds.

·        Fruits include bananas, apples, oranges, berries, pineapples, and apricots.

·        Artichokes, broccoli, green beans, cabbage, asparagus, sweet potatoes, celery, and cauliflower are some examples of vegetables.

·        Legumes: soybeans, adzuki beans, mung beans, chickpeas, lentils, and lentils

·        Olive oil, argan oil, canola oil, sunflower oil

Because of this, some research has found that vegans and vegetarians typically consume more phytosterols than those who eat meat and other animal products. Similar to how the typical modern diet only contains about 2.5-5 times as many phytosterols as the Paleolithic hunter-gatherer diet, which was rich in plant foods like nuts and seeds. The majority of people today regularly consume additional phytosterols from refined vegetable oils and processed foods like margarine, whereas these ancient groups of people obtained plenty of phytosterols from plant-based foods.