Research has also shown that phytosterols such as beta-sitosterol may help normalize the function of T-helper
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lymphocytes and natural killer cells following stressful events. Any positive effects of phytosterols on human
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cancers though are still preliminary and unsubstantiated at this time.
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While test tube and animal studies showed some positive results of dietary phytosterols being able to lower
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serum cholesterol levels and slow the growth and spread of cancer cells, a number of human studies showed
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more moderate effects on cholesterol management, but some fairly good benefits in regard to alleviating the
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symptoms of Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy.
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Of course, it would have been much more interesting to see how a cholesterol -rich diet from animal sources
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(such as eggs), would have fared in comparison to a phytosterol -rich diet (from plant sources), in the same
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studies, instead of simply trying to compare a diet rich in phytosterols to a control diet, to which almost any
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diet can be made to appear superior.
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In fact, research shows that LDL cholesterol, which contributes to atheromatous plaque formation, also
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contains plant sterols, and that a dietary increase in phytosterols also increases the plant sterol content in the
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plaque of arteries. In addition, when statins (cholesterol-lowering drugs) were used, the treatment was not only
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associated with increased ratios of the absorption of plant sterols in serum, but also in atherosclerotic plaque.
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I followed the progress of a number of patients who had started using phytosterols for a variety of medical
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disorders that beta-sitosterol, stigmasterol, campesterol, or any number of other sterols or sterolins are
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supposed to be beneficial for, and at some point, I actually encouraged some patients to experiment with
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these products to help evaluate the effectiveness of phytosterols for their conditions. I also monitored my own
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chemistry while supplementing larger doses of sterols and sterolins myself in the hope of coming up with any
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specific positive or negative effects.
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Over several years now, there have been few changes observed with any number of medical conditions the
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products were used for, although one patient was able to control a long-term wheat allergy by supplementing
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one or two 127.5 mg phytosterol caps per day (which contained stigmasterol, beta-sitosterol, beta-sterolins,
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and campesterol), however she also had to add sufficient amounts of either lime juice, or glutamic acid tabs
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with every meal. Neither the stomach acid support, nor the phytosterols alone worked by themselves.
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Since many (plant) foods already contain sufficient amounts of phytosterol compounds, additional intake of
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sterol & sterolin supplements seems to largely benefit those individuals who follow extreme dietary lifestyles,
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such as long-term junk diets, ongoing diets for weight control purposes, or restricted diets because of food
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allergies. Of course in the first two instances, following a healthier lifestyle would be the better option.
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If for some reasons a proper diet cannot be followed, or bottled sterols and sterolins are too expensive, then
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medical conditions that have shown a positive response to phytosterol therapy (e.g. an enlarged prostate, or
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abnormal cholesterol levels), there are other supplements with similar effectiveness, such as Saw Palmetto,
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Milk Thistle, or Zinc for an enlarged prostate, - and Fish oils / Omega-types of EFAs to improve someone's
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cholesterol and triglyceride profiles. ¤
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