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Current Knowledge about Oxysterols: A Review
Author(s) -
Brzeska Magdalena,
Szymczyk Krystyna,
Szterk Arkadiusz
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of food science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 150
eISSN - 1750-3841
pISSN - 0022-1147
DOI - 10.1111/1750-3841.13423
Subject(s) - cholesterol , food science , ldl cholesterol , blood lipids , chemistry , biochemistry
For years food consumers have been warned that a cholesterol‐rich diet may result in atherosclerosis. It is also well known that consumption of large amounts of phytosterols decreases concentration of low‐density lipoproteins (LDLs) in blood (LDLs are regarded a key risk factor in development of cardiovascular diseases). However, no scientific evidence has unambiguously proved any direct connection between amount of consumed cholesterol and LDL level in blood. On the other hand, concentration of cholesterol oxidation products, oxysterols, seems to be indeed relevant; for example, they significantly impact appearance of atherosclerotic lesions (plaques). Phytosterols (like sitosterol or campasterol) decrease LDL level in blood, but on the other hand products of their oxidation are toxic. Therefore, it is worth to know influence of phytosterols on living organisms, processes which lead to their formation, and their levels in popular foodstuffs. This paper is an attempt to review literature data on the above aspects, as well as on impact on living organisms of oxidation products of popular sterols.