title: Micellar phytosterols effectively reduce cholesterol absorption at low doses.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Yonsei Cardiovascular Research Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 134 Shinchon-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Min-Jeong
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.forename: Jong Ho
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Yangsoo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jang
authors.forename: Yang Cha
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Lee-Kim
authors.forename: Eunju
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Kyung Mee
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Bong Chul
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: Namsik
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Chung
mesh_terms: 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*
chemical_list: D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D008823:Micelles; D010840:Phytosterols; D002784:Cholesterol; D003903:Deuterium