From the ArcaMax Publishing, Health & Fitness Newsletter:
http://www.arcamax.com/news/healthtips/s-378556-901506
HELSINKI, Finland (UPI) -- Plant sterols, used to lower cholesterol
and reduce the chance of heart disease, may also have risks,
researchers in Finland said.
Satu Helske of the Wihuri Research Institute in Helsinki, Finland,
said plant sterols can block the absorption of dietary cholesterol
into the body and high vegetable diets.
Researchers collected blood samples from 82 patients with severe
aortic valve stenosis -- abnormal narrowing -- and aortic valves from
21 individuals undergoing valve surgery, along with respective
controls. They observed that non-cholesterol sterols, including plant
sterols, can accumulate in aortic valves.
Aortic valve stenosis results from cholesterol accumulation in the
valve between the left ventricle and aorta; this impedes the flow of
blood and puts extra pressure on the heart. About 2 percent of
individuals over age 65 -- and more than 5 percent of those over 85 --
have aortic valve stenosis, researchers said.
The finding, published in the Journal of Lipid Research, suggests that
beneficial plant sterols may end up becoming a risk factor for aortic
valve stenosis but there is a need to conduct more studies, such as
whether dietary sterols and sterol supplements produce different
effects.