Beta Sitosterol
- Beta-sitosterol is a substance found in plants, it’s used to make medicine. It is found in fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds.
Contents
Uses
- Beta-sitosterol is used for heart disease and high cholesterol.
- It is also used for boosting the immune system and for preventing colon cancer, as well as for gallstones, the common cold and flu, HIV/AIDS, rheumatoid arthritis, tuberculosis, psoriasis, allergies, cervical cancer, fibromyalgia, systemic lupus erythematosus, asthma, hair loss, bronchitis, migraine headache, and chronic fatigue syndrome.
- Some men use beta-sitosterol for enlarged prostate.
- Some women use it for symptoms of menopause. It is also used for enhancing sexual activity.
- Marathon runners sometimes use beta-sitosterol to reduce pain and swelling after a run.
- Some people apply beta-sitosterol to the skin for treating wounds and burns.
- In foods, beta-sitosterol is added to some margarines that are designed for use as part of a cholesterol-lowering diet and for preventing heart disease.
- The federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allows manufacturers to claim that foods containing plant sterol esters such as beta-sitosterol are for reducing the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). This rule is based on the FDA’s conclusion that plant sterol esters may reduce the risk of CHD by lowering blood cholesterol levels.
Benefits
- Beta-sitosterol is a plant substance similar to cholesterol. It might help reduce cholesterol levels by limiting the amount of cholesterol that is able to enter the body.
- It can also bind to the prostate to help reduce swelling (inflammation).
- High cholesterol: Taking beta-sitosterol significantly lowers total and bad (LDL) cholesterol levels, but it does not raise good (HDL) cholesterol levels.
- Having trouble urinating because of an enlarged prostate, or “benign prostatic hyperplasia” (BPH). Taking beta-sitosterol helps the symptoms of BPH, but it does not actually shrink an enlarged prostate.
Cautions
- Sitosterolemia, a rare inherited fat storage disease: People with this condition have too much beta-sitosterol and related fats in their system. They are prone to early heart disease. Taking beta-sitosterol makes this condition worse. Don’t take beta-sitosterol if you have sitosterolemia.
Other Names
Angelicin, Angélicine, B-Sitosterol 3-B-D-glucoside, B-Sitosterolin, Beta Sitosterin, Bêta-sitostérine, Beta Sitosterol, Bêta-Sitostérol, Beta-Sitosterol Glucoside, Beta-Sitosterol Glycoside, Campesterol, Campestérol, Cinchol, Cupreol, Ester de Stérol Végétal, Esters de Phytostérol, Esters de Stérol Dérivés d’huile Végétale, Glucoside de Bêta-Sitostérol, Phytosterol, Phytostérol, Phytosterol Esters, Phytosterols, Phytostérols, Plant Sterol Esters, Plant Sterolins, Plant Sterols, Quebrachol, Rhamnol, Sitosterin, Sitosterol, Sitosterolins, Sterinol, Stérolines, Stérolines Végétales, Sterolins, Stérols Végétaux, Stigmasterol, Stigmastérol, Vegetable Oil Sterol Esters, 3-beta-stigmast-5-en-3-ol, 22-23-dihydrostigmasterol, 24-beta-ethyl-delta-5-cholesten-3beta-ol, 24-ethyl-cholesterol.
References
Source:WEBMD, “Beta Sitosterol”, www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/