Micellar phytosterols effectively reduce cholesterol absorption at low doses.
BACKGROUND
The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of micellar phytosterols on cholesterol absorption in humans.


METHODS
24 healthy adults (mean age 37 years, 16 women and 8 men) underwent four cholesterol-absorption tests to compare the effects of micellar phytosterols supplement containing 500, 300, 200 mg phytosterols and placebo on cholesterol absorption in a cross-over design. Individual absorption tests were separated by 2 weeks. Using the single oral isotope method, inhibition of cholesterol absorption was determined by gas-chromatography mass spectrometry measurement of the differences in plasma hexadeuterated cholesterol enrichment 4 days after test meals with or without phytosterols. Each test meal provided 500 kcal and 89 mg cholesterol including 40 mg tracer cholesterol. We used a general linear mixed model with SAS to test the significance of treatment effect.


RESULTS
Micellar phytosterols had a significant overall effect on cholesterol absorption (p = 0.0002), reduced cholesterol absorption by 23.3% at a dose of 300 mg phytosterols (p = 0.0004) and by 32.0% at a dose of 500 mg phytosterols (p = 0.0001) compared with the placebo. The effect of 200 mg treatment did not reach statistical significance but there was a tendency (p = 0.052).


CONCLUSIONS
Water-dispersible, micellar phytosterols reduced cholesterol absorption effectively at very low doses.
Shin
Min-Jeong
MJ
Yonsei Cardiovascular Research Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 134 Shinchon-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, Korea.
Lee
Jong Ho
JH
Jang
Yangsoo
Y
Lee-Kim
Yang Cha
YC
Park
Eunju
E
Kim
Kyung Mee
KM
Chung
Bong Chul
BC
Chung
Namsik
N
D000328:Adult; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D003903:Deuterium; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000097:blood / Q000517:prevention & control*; D007408:Intestinal Absorption / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D008823:Micelles; D010840:Phytosterols / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*
D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D008823:Micelles; D010840:Phytosterols; D002784:Cholesterol; D003903:Deuterium