Lack of efficacy of low-dose sitostanol therapy as an adjunct to a cholesterol-lowering diet in men with moderate hypercholesterolemia

• Published in: The American journal of clinical nutrition Vol. 61; no. 2; pp. 392 - 396
• Main Author: Denke, MA
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01-02-1995; American Society for Clinical Nutrition, Inc
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Cholesterol; Cholesterol, Dietary - administration & dosage; Cholesterol, Dietary - blood; Cholestyramine Resin - administration & dosage; Cholestyramine Resin - therapeutic use; Diet; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Drug Therapy, Combination; Humans; Hypercholesterolemia - diet therapy; Male; Middle Aged; Nutrition; Sitosterols - administration & dosage; Sitosterols - therapeutic use
• ISSN: 0002-9165; 1938-3207
• DOI: 10.1093/ajcn/61.2.392

Plant sterols have been shown to reduce dietary cholesterol absorption and hence, total and low-density-lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol concentrations in humans. In this study the cholesterol-lowering effects of dietary supplementation with the hydrogenated plant sterol sitostanol (3 g/d) were tested in 33 men with moderate hypercholesterolemia who were consuming an outpatient diet in which dietary cholesterol was restricted to < 200 mg/d. Sitostanol therapy did not significantly lower LDL cholesterol compared with the diet alone. Similarly, sitostanol therapy in conjunction with a cholesterol-lowering regimen of diet and 8 g cholestyramine did not significantly lower LDL-cholesterol concentrations. Hence, although previous reports have suggested that low-dose sitostanol therapy is an effective means of reducing LDL-cholesterol concentrations, its effectiveness may be attenuated when the diet is low in cholesterol.