managing your cholesterol with phytosterols 021512

8/2/2019 Managing Your Cholesterol With Phytosterols 021512

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Managing Your Cholesterol with Phytosterols

Do you have hypercholesterolemia?

Hypercholesterolemia is a medical term for increased blood cholesterol levels.

Nowadays, increased blood cholesterol levels are being treated by medical doctors

who prescribe anti-hyperlipidemic drugs such as statins. The makers of these drugs

have very good marketing strategies that they earn billions of dollars each year.

These drug manufacturers convince everyone that elevated cholesterol levels can

only be treated with anti-hyperlipidemic drugs and that there is no other way.

However, recent discoveries in the field of medicine show that not all people with

elevated cholesterol levels need prescription drugs. A high cholesterol level is a result

of many factors. Anti-hyperlipidemic drugs such as statins can only benefit those with

an inherited medical condition known as familial hypercholesterolemia. This medical

condition leads to persistently elevated blood cholesterol levels despite nutritional

intervention and exercise. The problem comes when these anti-hyperlipidemic drugscause a variety of side effects such as diffuse muscle pain, weakness, upset stomach,

gas, constipation, abdominal pain, nerve damage, anemia, acidosis, sexual

dysfunction, immune depression, pancreas or liver dysfunction and cataracts. The list

goes on, as recent research has uncovered about 900 studies reporting side effects

with anti-hyperlipidemic drugs.

What many people do not know is that we do not need to turn to prescription

medicines for healing. True healing comes from the body itself. The body is built to

resist diseases and eliminate waste products and toxins from our organs. What we

only need to do is to build immune resistance and help the body get rid of human

waste and toxins efficiently. We can accomplish this using natural means, such asnutrition and exercise.

With regards to nutrition, it has recently come to the attention of many doctors and

scientists that certain naturally-occurring foods can lower elevated blood cholesterol

effectively on their own. These naturally-occurring substances which are present in

plant foods are known as phytosterols.

Phytosterols are substances derived from plants which have the same structure as

that of cholesterol. It is said that phytosterols could effectively lower blood cholesterol

by inhibiting cholesterol absorption in our intestines. Recent research has shown that

at least 0.8 grams of plant sterols or stanols could lower bad cholesterol (LDLcholesterol). The reduction of bad cholesterol can dramatically lower the risk for heart

disease.

Although it has been said that almost all plants contain phytosterols, the average

amount of phytosterols in each plant has not really been established until now. There

are about 40 types of plant sterols discovered as of present; however the most

abundant forms are beta-sitosterol, sigmasterol and campesterol.


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So, how are phytosterols different from animal-derived cholesterol even though they

have similar structures? It is said that only animal-derived cholesterol can induce the

buildup of fat in the blood vessels of the heart and other parts of the body, a

condition known as atherosclerosis. Many people lose their lives due to

atherosclerosis each year, due to the fact that atherosclerosis leads to deadly

illnesses such as heart disease and stroke.

In contrast to the effect of animal-derived cholesterol, phytosterols are absorbed by

the intestines in minimal amounts. As a result, they do not enter the bloodstream.

Phytosterols can also slow down or stop the absorption of cholesterol being produced

by the liver or taken in by the body.

Phytosterols also have anti-cancer activities. It is said that a type of phytosterol called

sitosterol could kill human prostate, breast and colon cancer cells. Phytosterols can

also stimulate immune system cells to fight against disease.

Given these effects, it is of no wonder that our ancestors were healthier than most of

us today. It is said that the diets of our ancestors contained as much as 1000

milligrams of phytosterols daily. At present, our daily diet contains only 150 to 450

milligrams per day, which may even vary according to populations. For example,

vegetarians often have a higher phytosterol intake as compared to typical people.

So, where can we find plant sterols? Phytosterols are often found in unrefined plant

oils such as vegetable, olive and nut oils. Phytosterols can also be found in whole

grains, legumes, nuts and seeds.

It is said that the highest amounts of phytosterols can be found in nuts, whole grain

products, fruits and vegetables. Nuts typically contain about 95 to 280 milligrams per

100 grams serving. Phytosterol-rich nuts include almonds, pistachios, macadamias,

pecans and walnuts. Phytosterol-rich whole grains include wheat germ, flaxseed and

rye bread. Phytosterol-rich fruits and vegetables include broccoli, spinach, carrot,

potato, brussels sprouts, blueberry, raspberry, strawberry and lingonberry.

However, no matter how hard we try, we hardly have time everyday to gather these

types of foods and eat them. Now, thanks to modern technology, the goodness of

phytosterols is readily available to you as bottled supplements.

There are no studies which have actually compared the effect of phytosterol

supplements versus that of phytosterols derived from food. However, foods are better

than pure phytosterol supplements because foods contain other healthy nutrients

such as minerals, vitamins and fiber. Thus an ideal phytosterol supplement must

incorporate vitamins, minerals and fiber along with plant sterols.

Another ideal phytosterol supplement should be able to provide biologically-active

plant sterols that could effectively lower blood cholesterol levels. This has something

to do with the manufacturing process of the phytosterol supplement.


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One such ideal phytosterol supplement is Lifelixer. Lifelixer contains beta-

sitosterol along with other important nutrients. The formulation of Lifelixer is similar

to that of fresh fruits and vegetables to bring about maximum health effects in you.

The unique Lifelixer formulation is the result of over a decade of research and

development and is a hyper concentrated, patented nutrient blend, especiallydesigned to provide a plethora of macro and micronutrients in a convenient

supplement form.

Considering all these facts, wouldnt you be glad that Lifelixer is around to guide

you throughout life?

References:

1. Choudhary SP, Tran LS. Phytosterols: perspectives in human nutrition and clinical

therapy. Curr Med Chem. 2011 Oct 1;18(29):4557-67.

2. Gupta AK, Savopoulos CG, Ahuja J, Hatzitolios AI. Role of phytosterols in lipid-lowering: current perspectives. QJM. 2011 Apr; 104(4):301-8.

3. Kris-Etherton PM, Hecker KD, Bonanome A, Coval SM, Binkoski AE, Hilpert KF, Griel

AE, Etherton TD. Bioactive compounds in foods: their role in the prevention of

cardiovascular disease and cancer. Am J Med. 2002 Dec 30; 113 Suppl 9B:71S-88S.

4. Malinowski JM, Gehret MM. Phytosterols for dyslipidemia. Am J Health Syst Pharm.

2010 Jul 15;67(14):1165-73.

5. Nilsson S, Mlstad S, Karlberg C, Karlsson JE, Persson LG. No connection between

the level of exposition to statins in the population and the incidence/mortality ofacute myocardial infarction: an ecological study based on Sweden's municipalities. J

Negat Results Biomed. 2011 May 24;10:6.

6. Williams B, Brown D. Direct to consumer Internet advertising of statins: an

assessment of safety. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf. 2012 Feb 2.

7. Woyengo TA, Ramprasath VR, Jones PJ. Anticancer effects of phytosterols. Eur J Clin

Nutr. 2009 Jul;63(7):813-20.

managing your cholesterol with phytosterols 021512

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