As the concept of healthy eating becomes more and more popular, there are many vegetable oils containing phytosterols in the market, such as phytosterol and phytosterol rapeseed oil. What are the benefits of plant sterols to the human body?
Phytosterols vs. Cholesterol
Phytosterols are sterols with structural and biochemical properties similar to cholesterol. This "fatoid" is widely found in the roots, stems, leaves and fruits of plants. Although phytosterols "look" similar to cholesterol, they compete with each other in the human body. The higher the dietary intake of phytosterols, the lower the absorption rate of cholesterol and the lower the serum cholesterol level. Elevated cholesterol can cause blood vessel blockage and disease.
Obtained Through Diet
The excellent cholesterol "nemesis" such as phytosterols cannot be synthesized autonomously in human cells. The only way is through dietary intake. As their name suggests, Phytosterols are widely found in plants in nature. Foods high in phytosterols include vegetable oils, dried beans, and nuts in the daily diet. In cereal foods, the content of phytosterols in flour is relatively high, about 47-76 mg of phytosterols per 100 grams of flour. The finer the flour is processed, the lower the phytosterol content, namely whole wheat flour ﹥ standard flour ﹥ rich and strong flour ﹥ dumpling flour.
Among vegetable oils, corn germ oil has the highest phytosterol content, with a total phytosterol content of more than 1,000 mg per 100 grams, followed by rapeseed oil and sesame oil. In soybean oil and peanut oil commonly consumed by residents in northern my country, the average phytosterol content is 307 mg/100 g and 245 mg/100 g, respectively. The lowest content is camellia oil, which is only more than 100 mg. It can be seen that eating corn germ oil and eating more whole grains can increase the intake of phytosterols.
"The Key to Life"
Scientists have hailed Phytosterols as "the key to life" because of their ability to lower cholesterol levels and protect cardiovascular health. Studies have found that a 10% reduction in blood cholesterol levels will reduce cardiovascular disease by 19%-54%. Therefore, it has been strongly recommended by world authoritative organizations such as the World Heart Organization, American Heart Association, British Heart Foundation, German Society of Nutritional Medicine and Dietetics, Australian Heart Association, etc.