PHYTOSTEROLS, CHOLESTEROL ABSORPTION AND HEALTHY DIETS

这个子项目是许多研究子项目中利用 资源由NIH/NCRR资助的中心拨款提供。子项目和 调查员(PI)可能从NIH的另一个来源获得了主要资金， 并因此可以在其他清晰的条目中表示。列出的机构是 该中心不一定是调查人员的机构。 这篇综述的目的是概述饮食中植物甾醇在人类健康中的新作用。饮食中的饱和脂肪、胆固醇和纤维目前在降低低密度脂蛋白胆固醇水平方面受到重视。然而，其他饮食成分，如植物甾醇，可能对循环中的胆固醇有同等或更大的影响，需要进一步研究降低冠心病风险的可能性。在经典的脂肪交换临床试验中没有考虑植物类固醇的影响，这可能解释了所研究的食物脂肪的一些差异。植物甾醇减少胆固醇的吸收，但本身吸收能力较差，这种影响可以在人体单餐试验中使用稳定的同位素示踪剂进行研究。由于植物甾醇在提纯时是不溶于水的，在生物活性上没有活性，因此需要特别注意确保商业补充剂产品通过在脂肪中溶解或通过乳化获得生物可利用性。最近的研究表明，天然食品基质中的植物甾醇也具有生物活性。在食品生产过程中保留植物类固醇，以及使用植物类固醇含量较高的食品，可能构成使用补充剂的替代方法。

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. The purpose of this review is to outline the emerging role of dietary phytosterols in human health. Dietary saturated fat, cholesterol and fiber are currently emphasized in the reduction of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. However, other dietary components such as phytosterols may have equivalent or even larger effects on circulating cholesterol and need further study with respect to the potential for coronary heart disease risk reduction. Phytosterol effects were not considered in classic fat-exchange clinical trials and may account for some of the differences attributed to the food fats studied. Phytosterols reduce cholesterol absorption while being poorly absorbed themselves and the effects can be studied in human subjects in single-meal tests using stable isotopic tracers. Because phytosterols are insoluble and biologically inactive when purified, careful attention needs to be given to ensuring that commercial supplement products are rendered bioavailable by dissolution in fat or by emulsification. Recent work shows that phytosterols in natural food matrices are also bioactive. The retention of phytosterols during food manufacturing and the use of foods with high phytosterol content may constitute an alternative to the use of supplements.