6 March 2008 - Plant sterols are structurally related to cholesterol and can be divided into phytosterols and phytostanols, phytostanols being the saturated form of the phytosterols. Scientific studies indicate that consumption of 1.5-3 g of plant sterols per day can significantly reduce the level of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in individuals if consumed as part of a healthy diet.
To take advantage of the cholesterol-lowering effect, an increasing number of food products with added plant sterols or plant sterol esters have become available on the EU market. Unfortunately, the consumption of high doses of plant sterols can also significantly reduce the blood levels of carotenoids. As a prudent precaution it has thus been suggested that intakes of plant sterols should not exceed 3 g per day.
Regular consumers of products with added plant sterols have been estimated to constitute about 10-15% of the population. In general there seems so far to be little over-consumption of food products with added plant sterols, rather the average consumer exposure to plant sterols is on the low side of what is considered an effective dose. However, there seems to be an established subgroup of maybe 1-4% of the population with intakes greater than the recommended 3 g of plant sterols sustained for more than a year.
More than half of consumers of the products belong to the intended target group, particularly at sustained levels of intake.
Thus more than 60% of the consumers of food products with added plant sterols had high blood cholesterol levels and a large majority belonged to the over 45 age group. However, there is some leakage with whole families consuming the products without belonging to the target group, including a few children.
The special information required on product labels for these types of food is rarely understood. A high proportion of the consumers are not aware of the dietary guidelines in relation to phytosterol products and the importance to also consume sufficient fruit and vegetables to prevent a reduction in plasma carotenoids levels.
In conclusion it is still difficult to estimate actual or predict future intakes of phytosterol based on the information available.
This is in part due to the dynamic situation of the market. It is clear that only a small proportion of consumers eat two or more products with added plant sterols during the same day even with an expanding range of products available on the market. This could be due to the currently available product range and might change with a change in the product mix.
However, the price premium afforded to the products is considered as a natural barrier to excessive intakes in the general population.