Plant sterols and stanols in a nutshell

Plant sterols and stanols are recommended by the EAS as a part of lifestyle intervention in the management of dyslipidemia1,2.

Plant sterols and stanols have been shown to effectively lower TC and LDL-cholesterol concentrations in a dose-dependent manner (7-12% LDL-cholesterol lowering with intakes of approximately 1.5-3 g/d).

It is not possible to obtain approximately 2 g of plant sterols and stanols per day from ordinary foods. Therefore, foods with added plant sterols and stanols should be considered as part of a healthy diet to actively reduce TC and LDL-cholesterol.

Finally, foods with added plant sterols and stanols provide an additional LDL-cholesterol lowering effect in dyslipidemic patients at high CVD risk already being treated with lipid-lowering drugs such as statins2 therefore, they are recommended also in adjunct to pharmacological therapy.

Test your knowledge
What is the approximate recommended daily intake of plant sterols/stanols to actively reduce LDL-cholesterol by up to 7-10%?
  1. 500 mg/day
  2. 2 g/day
  3. 5 g/day
Check your answer