Generic placeholder image

Recent Patents on Food, Nutrition & Agriculture

Editor-in-Chief

ISSN (Print): 2212-7984
ISSN (Online): 1876-1429

Plant Sterols and Stanols as Cholesterol-Lowering Ingredients in Functional Foods

Author(s): Afaf Kamal-Eldin and Ali Moazzami

Volume 1, Issue 1, 2009

Page: [1 - 14] Pages: 14

DOI: 10.2174/2212798410901010001

Abstract

This article reviews developments related to the use of plant sterols and stanols as cholesterol-lowering ingredients in foods and nutraceuticals preparations. Plant sterols and stanols are extracted from the deodorizer distillates of vegetable oil refining and from tall oil, a by-product of paper pulping industry. Plant sterols/stanols inhibit cholesterol absorption possibly by competitively inhibiting its incorporation into the mixed micelles in the small intestine although other mechanisms can not be excluded. Daily consumption of 1-2 grams of plant sterols or stanols was shown to cause 10- 20% reduction in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL cholesterol). Combinations of plant sterols/stanols with certain lipid-lowering ingredients were shown to potentate their cholesterol-lowering effects and, in some cases, add triacylglycerol-lowering effects. In this article, patents based information is also discussed.

Keywords: Plant sterols, plant stanols, cholesterol-lowering, health-promoting effects, functional foods

Next »

© 2024 Bentham Science Publishers | Privacy Policy