Plant Sterol Supplementation Lowers Risk Of Coronary Artery Disease

A randomized study by Greek researchers has found that a daily supplement of plant sterols reduced LDL cholesterol (“bad cholesterol”) among pre-diabetic patients who followed a Western style diet. In the placebo-controlled study, 108 patients with metabolic syndrome consumed either a plant sterol-enriched yogurt mini drink containing four grams of phytosterols a day, or a yogurt beverage without phytosterols over two months while they continued eating a Western diet. Among the phytosterol group, LDL cholesterol dropped 20.3 percent and triglyceride levels dropped by 19.1 percent. “Phytosterol supplementation improves risk factors of coronary artery disease even if the diet is a Westernized type,” the researchers concluded.