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  • Original Article
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Dose-response effects of different plant sterol sources in fat spreads on serum lipids and C-reactive protein and on the kinetic behavior of serum plant sterols

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 62, pages 968–977 (2008)Cite this article

Abstract

Objective:

To test the dose-response effect on low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c) of plant sterols (PS) from different sources in a low-fat spread.

Methods:

Dose responses of soybean oil (BO), tall oil (TO) and a mix of tall oil and rapeseed oil (TO/RP) as fatty acid esters were tested in a parallel design in free-living subjects recruited from the general community who had elevated cholesterol concentrations. Subjects received either control for 6 weeks or 1.6 g PS per day for 3 weeks, then 3.0 g/day for 3 weeks.

Results:

LDL-c was lowered significantly by consumption of 1.6 g/day of PS (−10.4%, range −7.3 to −11.4%). Increasing the dose to 3.0 g/day modestly reduced LDL-c concentrations further to −14.7%. TO, containing 78% sitosterol, produced an increase in serum sitosterol of 6.5 nmol/ml, while BO, containing only 27% campesterol, produced an increase in serum campesterol of 9.5 nmol/ml in 6 weeks. After PS withdrawal, serum sterols declined by 50% within 2 weeks.

Conclusion:

Different PS sources were equally effective in lowering serum LDL-c concentrations. The decrease in absolute concentrations of LDL-c was dependent on the baseline concentrations.

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Acknowledgements

The study was partially funded by Unilever. MI Beute and Y Veldhuizen from Unilever Research Vlaardingen are kindly acknowledged for the production of the different test products. H Steenbergen and H-G Janssen were instrumental in the sterol analysis of the sterol sources and final products. R Diks is kindly acknowledged for critical review and discussion of the results. R McArthur, K Bastiaan, C Sullivan, A McGuffin, J Weaver and C Keatch were responsible for the clinical study and J Keogh for editing the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CSIRO Human Nutrition, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

    P M Clifton & M Mano

  2. Unilever Food and Health Research Institute (UFHRI), Vlaardingen, The Netherlands

    G S M J E Duchateau, H C M van der Knaap & E A Trautwein

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  1. P M Clifton
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  2. M Mano
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  3. G S M J E Duchateau
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  4. H C M van der Knaap
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  5. E A Trautwein
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Correspondence to P M Clifton.

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Guarantor: PM Clifton.

Contributors: PMC and GSMJED designed the study; the intervention part was organized and monitored by PMC. PMC and MM coordinated the serum analysis. HCMvdK performed the data analysis and all authors participated in the manuscript writing, with the critical input of each during the raw data and statistics interpretation.

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Clifton, P., Mano, M., Duchateau, G. et al. Dose-response effects of different plant sterol sources in fat spreads on serum lipids and C-reactive protein and on the kinetic behavior of serum plant sterols. Eur J Clin Nutr 62, 968–977 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602814

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602814

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