Also called plant stanols, plant sterols are the vegetal version of cholesterol. When consumed in sufficient amounts, they block the absorption of cholesterol in the small intestine.
A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that when plant sterols were consumed in sufficient quantities, they lowered LDL cholesterol an average of 13 percent. That’s the same as a low-dose statin drug. There are food products such as special margarines that contain plant sterols.
Unfortunately, those foods also contain chemicals, so you’re better off taking a 2-gram daily supplement.
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