Beta-Sitosterol Improves the Intestinal Cholesterol Absorption

By Kyle J. Norton

Cholesterol is a waxy substance that is produced either by the liver or injected from animal food sources.

Cholesterol found in our body is needed to build cell walls, hormones, and vitamin D, and create bile salts that aid digestion. However, too much of them, in most cases due to the intake of animal protein can cause plaques to build up on the arterial wall, the major cause of heart disease and stroke.

More precisely, if levels of low-density lipoprotein are high compared to high-density lipoprotein which returns the accessed cholesterol back to the liver, you have high blood cholesterol.

Lipid metabolism is the breakdown of lipids in cells for energy.

The intestines formed part of the digestive system including the small and large intestines are long, continuous tubes running from the stomach to the anus.

The small intestine demonstrated 90% of the digestion and absorption of food compared to only 10% in the stomach and large intestine.

More precisely, the large intestine not only plays an essential in the recovery of water and electrolytes, formation, but also storage of feces and fermentation of some of the indigestible food matter by bacteria.

The intestinal cholesterol absorption includes two main phases, according to Medscape, "The first takes place in the lumen and involves digestion and hydrolysis of dietary lipids followed by solubilization of cholesterol in mixed micelles containing bile acid and phospholipids. This solubilization facilitates the movement of cholesterol from the bulk phase of the lumen to the surface of the enterocyte".

And, "In the second phase, cholesterol crosses the mucosal cell membrane by simple diffusion, and probably by facilitated diffusion as well".

Beta-Sitosterol is a phytochemical in the class of Phytosterols, belongings to the group of Lipids, found abundantly in avocados, rice bran, wheat germ, corn oils, fennel, peanuts, soybeans, hawthorn, basil, and buckwheat. etc.

In finding a potential phytochemical for the prevention of diseases involving hyper cholesterol researchers investigated the anti-hyper cholesterol activity of β-sitosterol (BSS).

The study included rabbits that were fed either 10% coconut oil, 10% coconut oil and 1% beta-sitosterol, 10% coconut oil, and 1% cholesterol, or 10% coconut oil and 1% beta-sitosterol plus 1% cholesterol for 4 weeks.
According to the results of the experiment,
* Microsomal membranes from the intestines of animals fed the 1% beta-sitosterol diet had 48% less cholesterol compared to membranes from animals fed the coconut oil diet.
* The acyl-coenzyme A: cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT) activity that forms cholesteryl esters from cholesterol in jejunum and ileum was decreased significantly in animals fed the plant sterol alone.

In the membranes from animals fed 1% beta-sitosterol and 1% cholesterol, beta-sitosterol content showed an increase of 50% whereas cholesterol was modestly decreased compared to their controls fed only cholesterol.

Furthermore, animals fed 1% beta-sitosterol, did not interfere with the stimulation of ACAT activity secondary to cholesterol enrichment of the membranes.

Most importantly, freshly isolated intestinal cells incubated for 1 hour with [(3)H]oleic acid and beta-sitosterol: DPPC or 25-hydroxycholesterol: DPPC incorporation of oleic acid into cholesteryl esters did not change in the presence of beta-sitosterol but increased fourfold after the addition of 25-hydroxycholesterol, an indication of improved immune functioning.

Based on the results, researchers wrote, "the CoA-dependent esterification rate of cholesterol is at least 60 times greater than that of beta-sitosterol. Membrane beta-sitosterol does not interfere with nor competes with cholesterol esterification"

And "Inadequate esterification of this plant sterol may play a role in the poor absorption of beta-sitosterol by the gut.".

Taken altogether, beta-Sitosterol may be considered a supplement for the improvement of intestinal cholesterol absorption, pending the confirmation of the larger sample size and multicenter human study.

Intake of beta-Sitosterol in the form of supplements should be taken with extreme care to prevent overdose acute liver toxicity.


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Author Biography
Kyle J. Norton (Scholar, Master of Nutrition, All right reserved)
Health article writer and researcher; Over 10.000 articles and research papers have been written and published online, including worldwide health, ezine articles, article base, health blogs, self-growth, best before it's news, the karate GB daily, etc.,.
Named TOP 50 MEDICAL ESSAYS FOR ARTISTS & AUTHORS TO READ by Disilgold.com Named 50 of the best health Tweeters Canada - Huffington Post
Nominated for shorty award over last 4 years
Some articles have been used as references in medical research, such as international journal Pharma and Bioscience, ISSN 0975-6299.

Sources
(1) beta-sitosterol: esterification by intestinal acylcoenzyme A: cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT) and its effect on cholesterol esterification by Field FJ, Mathur SN. (PubMed)
(2) The Intestinal Absorption of Biliary and Dietary Cholesterol as a Drug Target for Lowering the Plasma Cholesterol Level by Stephen D. Turley, PhD, John M. Dietschy, MD. (Medscape)