| High / Low Carb-Fat-Protein Diets | Blood Type Diet | MLM Products | Sterols & Sterolins |
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| Chocolate & Cocoa | Sugar & Glycemic Index | Vitamin C Supplementation | Vegetarianism |
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Phytosterols: Sterols, Sterolins & Beta-Sitosterol - Health Benefits?
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Phytosterols are plant fats similar in structure as the animal fat cholesterol, except they have an extra
ethyl group on the side chain. All plants, including fruits, vegetables, grains, spices, seeds and nuts
contain these sterol compounds or sterolins, with some of the most commonly found phytosterols being
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beta-sitosterol (BSS), stigmasterol, and campesterol. Plant oils are a particularly rich source of phyto-
sterols, however all sources are thought to be effective in the treatment or prevention of high cholesterol,
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or hypercholesterolemia.
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What sets these compounds apart from many other phytonutrients that boast similar health-promoting
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attributes is the extensive publicity and promotional literature, including a newsletter-like format featuring
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articles and anecdotal cures and treatment success stories of people who have used these products.
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The interest in the effects of phytosterols apparently started with Roelof Wilke Liebenburg from South
Africa, who witnessed how one of his relatives with inoperable prostate cancer was supposedly cured
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by a neighbor using a traditional folk remedy. As a result, Mr. Liebenburg started researching the plant
components that were used to treat his relative's cancer, and eventually a small study was done in
Germany with patients suffering from a variety of prostate problems.
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Following the successful treatments of some cases with benign prostatic hypertrophy - or BPH (which is
a non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate) by these plant extracts, a patented remedy of a special
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combination of sterols and sterolins was formulated in 1974.
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This product line was initially approved for BPH, however once it became available over-the-counter, it
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was touted as a most promising immune system cure, with claims of asthma, diabetes, several types of
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cancers, herpes, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, allergies, psoriasis, etc., etc... benefiting from this product.
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Apparently, new research is also under way to confirm positive effects of phytosterols and sterolins on
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Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, fibromyalgia, tuberculosis, sinusitis, HIV, Hepatitis C, and other infectious
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diseases, whereby beta-sitosterol in particular is said to modulate immune function, inflammation and
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pain levels through its effects on controlling the production of inflammatory cytokines.
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Research has also shown that phytosterols such as beta-sitosterol may help normalize the function of
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T-helper lymphocytes and natural killer cells following stressful events. Any positive effects of phyto-
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sterols on human 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
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improve serum cholesterol levels and slow the growth and spread of cancer cells, a number of human
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studies showed more moderate effects on cholesterol management, but some fairly good benefits in
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respect to alleviating the symptoms of benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH).
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Of course, it would have been much more interesting to see how a cholesterol -rich diet (from animal
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sources, such as eggs) would have fared in comparison to a phytosterol -rich diet (from plant sources)
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in those same studies, instead of simply trying to compare a diet rich in phytosterols to a control diet,
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to which almost any 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
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in the plaque of arteries. In addition, when statins (cholesterol-lowering drugs) were used, the treatment
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was not only associated with increased ratios of the absorption of plant sterols in serum, but also in
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atherosclerotic plaque.
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I have followed the progress of a number of patients who had started using phytosterols for a variety
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of medical disorders that beta-sitosterol, stigmasterol, campesterol, or any number of other sterols or
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sterolins are supposed to be beneficial for, and at some point, I actually encouraged some patients to
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experiment with these products to help evaluate the effectiveness of phytosterols for their conditions.
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I also monitored my own chemistry while supplementing larger doses of sterols and sterolins myself in
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the hope of coming up with any specific positive or negative effects.
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Over several years now, there have been either no, or few changes for better or worse with any number
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of medical conditions the products were used for. One patient was able to control her long-term wheat
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allergy by supplementing one or two 127.5 mg phytosterol caps per day (which contained beta-sterolins,
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beta-sitosterol, stigmasterol and campesterol), however she also had to add sufficient amounts of either
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lime juice, or glutamic acid tabs with every meal. Neither the stomach acid support, nor the phytosterols
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alone worked by themselves.
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Since many (plant) foods already contain sufficient amounts of phytosterol compounds, additional
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supplementation of sterols and sterolins seems to largely benefit those individuals who follow extreme
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dietary lifestyles, such as long-term junk diets, ongoing diets for weight control purposes, or restricted
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diets because of food allergies. Of course in the first two instances, following a healthier lifestyle would
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be the better option.
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If for some reason a proper diet cannot be followed, or bottled sterols and sterolins are too expensive,
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then even for those medical conditions that have shown a positive response to phytosterol therapy (e.g.
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benign prostatic hypertrophy, or abnormal cholesterol levels), there are other supplements that are more
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reasonably priced and just as - or even more effective, such as Milk Thistle, Saw Palmetto, or Zinc for
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an enlarged prostate, and fish oils, or omega-types of EFAs / phospholipid compounds to improve
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someone's lipid profiles. ¤
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Copyright © 2001-2010 Ronald Roth Sterols, Sterolins & Beta-Sitosterol
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