Therapeutic potential of plant sterols and stanols

Products enriched with plant sterol and stanol esters selectively lower LDL cholesterol. Consumption appears to be safe, and these functional foods th us have great potential for cardiovascular risk management. Although values remain within the normal range, one possible concern is that they lower li pid-standardized concentrations of the plasma carotenoids. Whether this aff ects health in the longer-term or in selected patient groups is not known. Therefore, especially in view of the increasing number of functional foods that will be on the market in the very near future, there is a clear need t o establish an effective post-marketing safety net. urr Opin Lipidol 11:571 -576. 2000 Lippincott Williams & Wlkins.