Plant sterols and blood cholesterol: insights from an expert roundtable

Plant sterols lower serum total and LDL-cholesterol. HDL- cholesterol and triglyceride levels are unaffected. The mechanism of action is reduced absorption of dietary and biliary cholesterol from the gut. Approximately 2 g of plant sterols per day (25 g of plant sterol-enriched spread) will reduce LDL-cholesterol by an average of 10%. The effect of plant sterols is additive to that of cholesterol- lowering medication and diets low in saturated fat consumption. (author abstract)