Plant Stanols in Human Nutrition
Plant stanols are present in small amounts in human diet. Their main sources are whole-grain foods, mostly wheat and rye. The daily intake of stanols in the average western diet is about 60 mg/d, whereas the intake of plant sterols is about 150–300 mg/d and that of cholesterol is 500–800 mg/d. The relatively low natural levels of stanols in the diet are too low to have a significant effect on serum cholesterol levels.
Plant sterols have traditionally been considered non-absorbable. In humans consuming solid food diets, more than 90% of sitosterol is recovered in the stool. Plant sterol absorption is quite low, particularly for stanols, for which the absorption efficiency is over 10 times lower than for the equivalent sterols. 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. Alpha- and beta-carotene are slightly reduced, although results have been inconsistent. However, no reduction in beta-carotene level was seen when plant sterols or plant stanols were consumed as part of a healthy diet containing fruits and vegetables.
Following evidence from toxicological studies and numerous clinical trials, stanols are characterised as safe by authorities in several EU countries and by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Read more about this topic: Plant Stanol Ester
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