Phytosterols Supplementation Reduces Endothelin-1 Plasma Concentration in Moderately Hypercholesterolemic Individuals Independently of Their Cholesterol-Lowering Properties
What this study found
Phytosterol supplementation lowered endothelin-1 and improved lipid parameters, with the endothelin-1 effect reported as independent of LDL-cholesterol reduction. Endothelin-1 decreased from 1.31 ± 0.09 pg/mL with placebo to 1.13 ± 0.09 pg/mL with phytosterols (p = 0.02), while LDL-c fell from 166 ± 24 to 154 ± 20 mg/dL (p = 0.001), triglycerides from 146 ± 58 to 134 ± 45 mg/dL (p = 0.008), and Apo-B from 115 ± 12 to 109 ± 13 mg/dL (p = 0.006). Inflammatory and several endothelial markers did not change significantly, including hs-CRP (p = 0.96), IL-6 (p = 0.25), TNFα (p = 0.19), and VCAM-1…
- Study & population
- Randomized crossover trial in 38 completed participants from a dyslipidemia outpatient unit in São Paulo, Brazil.
- Intervention
- Participants received 1.6 g/day of phytosterols as esters in 400 mL/day soy milk or phytosterol-enriched soy milk, taken orally in two daily doses with lunch and dinner for 4 weeks.
- Key limitation
- The study was small, single-center, and short duration (4 weeks), which limits precision and generalizability.
View source
Open PDFOriginal abstract
Experimental and clinical studies have demonstrated the effect of phytosterols (PS) on reducing plasma levels of cholesterol and LDL-c, but the effects of plant sterols beyond cholesterol-lowering are still questionable. Since inflammation and endothelial dysfunction are involved in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, this study aims to evaluate the effect of PS on biomarkers involved in atherosclerosis progression and whether these effects are independent of alterations in plasma LDL-c levels. Thirty-eight moderately hypercholesterolemic volunteers (58 ± 12 years; LDL-c ≥ 130 mg/dL) were randomly assigned to consume 400 mL/day of soy milk or soy milk + PS (1.6 g/day) for 4 weeks in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over study. Blood samples were collected and lipid profiles and biomarkers for inflammation and endothelial dysfunction determined. The results showed that PS treatment reduced endothelin-1 plasma concentration by 11% (p = 0.02) independently of variations in plasma levels of LDL-c. No alterations were observed regarding fibrinogen, IL-6, hs-CRP, SAA, TNFα, or VCAM-1 between placebo and PS-treated groups. Furthermore, PS reduced total plasma cholesterol concentration (−5,5%, p < 0.001), LDL-c (−6.4%, p < 0.05), triglycerides (−8.3%, p < 0.05), and apo B (−5.3%, p < 0.05), without changing HDL-c concentration (p > 0.05). Therefore, PS supplementation effectively lowers endothelin-1 independently of the reductions in plasma levels of LDL-c, contributing to the comprehension of the effect of plant sterols on endothelial function and prevention of cardiovascular diseases.