phytosterols and 1-octacosanol

In this article we briefly review the evidence on the effect of different "natural" products on cholesterolemia. Plant stanols and sterols reduce cholesterol intestinal absorption and decrease total and LDL cholesterol by approximately 10%. Polycosanol is a mixture of saturated alcohols that seem to inhibit cholesterol hepatic synthesis and decrease total and LDL cholesterol by up to 25%. The effects on the cholestorolemia of soy and soluble fiber are modest.

Topics: Dietary Fiber; Fatty Alcohols; Glycine max; Humans; Hypercholesterolemia; Phytosterols; Plant Preparations; Sitosterols

Individual components of Pinus pinea L. oil unsaponifiable matter isolated from seven Mediterranean populations were identified and quantified. P. pinea oil unsaponifiable matter contained very high levels of phytosterols (>or=4298 mg kg-1 of total extracted lipids), of which beta-sitosterol was the most abundant (74%). Aliphatic alcohol contents were 1365 mg kg-1 of total extracted lipids, of which octacosanol was the most abundant (41%). Two alcohols (hexacosanol and octacosanol), which are usually absent in common vegetable oils, were described for P. pinea oils. There were almost no differences in the total unsaponifiable matter of the seven Mediterranean populations studied. However, sterol and aliphatic alcohol contents showed some variability, with Tunisian and Moroccan populations showing very different and higher contents.

Topics: Alcohols; Fatty Alcohols; Morocco; Phytosterols; Pinus; Plant Oils; Seeds; Tunisia