Metabolic Benefits of Phytosterols: Chemical, Nutritional, and Functional Aspects

Abstract

Plant sterols encompass phytosterols and phytostanols, with over 250 iden-tified types. They’ve garnered attention in the food industry due to their potential hypocholesterolemic effects. This manuscript offers a current view phytosterols content in foods, their bioaccessibility, bioavailability, and meta-bolic benefits based on existing preclinical and clinical data. Published articles from 2016 to 2023 regarding the effect of sitosterol, sitostanol, campesterol, campestanol, stigmasterol, and mixed phytosterols on preclini-cal models and clinical trials were included. Food and technology-related issues were also discussed. Phytosterols’s bioavailability in food is limited, exhibiting vulnerability to oxidation, low water solubility, and a distinctive taste. Nevertheless, various technological approaches have been devised to enhance its inclusion in food, ensuring adequate doses for harnessing its cholesterol-lowering potential. This effect has been extensively researched, alongside its hypoglycemic and anti-inflammatory properties. There’s a need to create novel functional foods enriched with phytosterols to attain the daily dosage required to leverage its hypercholesterolemic, hypoglycemic, anti- inflammatory, and other ongoing beneficial effects.