stigmastanol and Body-Weight

A pine wood based stanol ester mixture-composed of sitostanol (92%) and campestanol (8%) effectively lowers cholesterol absorption and consequently LDL-cholesterol concentrations. It has been postulated that the less absorbable plant sterols reduce cholesterol absorption more effectively. As sitostanol is absorbed less than campestanol, we decided to examine if a vegetable oil based stanol ester mixture with 68% sitostanol and 32% campestanol is less effective than the wood based stanol ester mixture. For this, 112 non-hypercholesterolemic men and women consumed for 4 weeks a rapeseed oil (LEAR) based margarine and shortening. For the next 8 weeks, 42 subjects continued with these products, while the other subjects received products with a vegetable oil (n=36) or a pine wood based stanol ester mixture (n=34). Consumption of 3.8 g vegetable oil based stanols (2.6 g sitostanol plus 1.2 g campestanol) lowered LDL cholesterol 14.6+/-8.0% (-0.37 mmol/l; vs. the control group; P<0.001; 95% CI for the difference, -0.22 to -0. 51 mmol/l). Four grams pine wood based stanols (3.7 g sitostanol plus 0.3 g campestanol) showed a comparable decrease of 12.8+/-11.2% (-0.34 mmol/l; P<0.001; 95% CI-0.18 to-0.51 mmol/l). Decreases in LDL cholesterol were not different between the two experimental groups (P=0.793), while apoE genotype did not have a major impact on this hypocholesterolemic response. Serum HDL cholesterol and triacylglycerol concentrations were not changed. The decreases in apo B in both experimental groups differed significantly (P<0.001) from changes in the control group. Coagulation and fibrinolytic parameters were not affected. We therefore conclude that vegetable oil and wood based stanol ester mixtures, with a different sitostanol/campestanol ratio, have similar LDL cholesterol lowering effects in a non-hypercholesterolemic population.

Topics: Adult; Anticholesteremic Agents; Apolipoproteins E; Blood Coagulation; Body Weight; Cholesterol; Drug Combinations; Fatty Acids, Monounsaturated; Female; Fibrinolysis; Hemostasis; Humans; Lipids; Male; Middle Aged; Phytosterols; Plant Oils; Polymorphism, Genetic; Rapeseed Oil; Reference Values; Sitosterols

To examine how variable sitostanol (SI) levels in phytosterol-supplemented diets influence plasma and hepatic lipid concentrations, fifty hamsters were divided into five groups and fed semipurified diets containing 0.25% (w/w) cholesterol for 45 days ad libitum. Four groups were fed this diet with 1% (w/w) phytosterol mixtures which contained 0.01% (w/w) SI derived from soybean, 0.2% (w/w) SI derived from tall oil, 0.2% (w/w) synthetic SI mixture (SIM) and 1% (w/w) pure SI, respectively. A control group did not receive phytosterols. Dietary SI supplementation at 1% (w/w) decreased total and non-apolipoprotein-A cholesterol levels in plasma by 34% (P=0.001) and 55% (P=0.04), respectively, whereas mean plasma total cholesterol level in the 0.2% (w/w) SI group was 23% (P=0.001) lower than that of the control group. Conversely, plasma lipid profile in hamsters fed 1 or 0.2% (w/w) SI did not differ from the 0.01% (w/w) SI group. Liver weights were 15 and 20% (P=0.012) higher in the control group compared with those fed 0.01% and 1% (w/w) SI, respectively, while the hepatic cholesterol content in the control group was greater (P<0.0001) than that of all other groups. Plasma campesterol levels were higher (P=0.04) in the 0.01% and 0.2% (w/w) SI fed groups than in the control, 0.2% (w/w) SIM and 1% (w/w) SI groups. Hepatic sitosterol content was elevated (P=0.002) in the SIM fed group compared to other groups. We conclude that dietary SI effect is proportional to its concentration in phytosterol mixtures and in the diet. Dietary SI lowered plasma cholesterol levels at concentrations higher than 0.2% (w/w) in hamsters. (c) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.

Topics: Animals; Anticholesteremic Agents; Body Weight; Cholesterol; Cholesterol, HDL; Cricetinae; Diet; Eating; Lipids; Liver; Organ Size; Phytosterols; Plant Oils; Sitosterols

Rapeseed oil fed to 24 hypercholesterolemic patients (50 g/day) reduced serum cholesterol (-8.5%) and cholestanol concentrations but increased those of campesterol and sitosterol. Continuation of rapeseed oil alone or with added sitosterol (625 mg/day) or sitostanol (630 mg/day) had no further effect on serum cholesterol. Rapeseed oil with sitosterol increased further its own proportion to cholesterol in serum but reduced that of campesterol while rapeseed oil with sitostanol reduced the proportions of both sitosterol and campesterol proportionately to the pretreatment values. The changes in the campesterol and sitosterol proportions were negatively and positively related to each other during the sitosterol and sitostanol additions, respectively. Thus, concentrations of unsaturated plant sterols in serum reflect their dietary intakes, saturated plant sterols are virtually not absorbed, plant sterols interfere with absorption of unsaturated structurally different plant sterols and cholestanol, and plant sterol-induced reduction of sterol absorption may be positively related to absorption efficiency of sterols.

Topics: Adult; Body Weight; Brassica; Cholesterol; Dietary Fats; Female; Humans; Hypercholesterolemia; Male; Middle Aged; Phytosterols; Plant Oils; Sitosterols