Avoid finding yourself being affected by Phytosterols and improve your health now with the help from Medifast. Phytosterols are not something many are overly familiar with. We’ve taken the time to get a better understanding of the dangers of phytosterols so you can avoid damaging your health any further.
TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING? DANGERS OF EXCESSIVE PHYTOSTEROLS
If you’re a bit fuzzy about what exactly phytosterols are, you’re not alone. Found in many fruits, nuts, seeds, legumes, whole grains and vegetables, as well as in vegetable oils, these plant chemicals have a long-standing heart-healthy reputation. Research has established that eating them daily can help bring down total cholesterol levels by as much as 17%… and now a new study from the University of Manitoba shows that phytosterols also may help prevent stomach, lung, ovarian and breast cancer.
Protect yourself from damaging your health.
But if your response to this is, “bring ‘em on and the more the better,” slow down. I spoke with Daily Health News contributing medical editor Andrew Rubman, ND, about this research and, as is often the case, he sees the topic as more nuanced.
PHYTOSTEROLS AND YOUR HEALTH
Plant sterols help our health in two ways. They inhibit cholesterol absorption while also displacing it in cell membranes. This activates an enzyme called caspase, which helps trigger apoptosis (natural programmed cell death), which is the function that, when it goes awry, allows cancer cells to proliferate. So far, it’s all good.
Agreeing that those benefits are real and meaningful, Dr. Rubman cautions that more is not necessarily better in this particular case. People who pile on the phytosterols, getting them from as many food sources as possible — and then, just to be safe, tossing down a supplement — may well end up overdoing it. Ironically, this actually can create cholesterol problems, says Dr. Rubman.
When it comes to phytosterols, “super-physiological doses” (which is to say many more than you would get from a normal healthy diet) may throw your cholesterol levels out of balance. Cholesterol is an essential nutrient, and the body is designed to preserve, protect and maintain adequate reserves of it, Dr. Rubman explained. While high doses of phytosterols may reduce cholesterol in the short run, he explains that over the long term, this actually might increase cholesterol levels as the liver battles back to create more to meet the body’s needs. He says the best way to absolutely make sure your diet contains ample phytosterols is to eat them in their naturally occurring form (i.e., in food). Do not aim to get megadoses from supplements and fortified foods.
Phytosterols are abundant in all fruits and vegetables, points out Dr. Rubman, so it’s relatively easy to get them in a healthy diet that includes approximately four to six servings. Don’t throw money away buying phytosterol supplements or phytosterol-fortified foods, including mayonnaise, vegetable oil, salad dressing, yogurt, milk, soy milk, orange juice, snack bars or meats.
Source(s):
Andrew Rubman, ND, director, Southbury Clinic for Traditional Medicines, Southbury, Connecticut. www.naturopath.org.
Take the time to look through all your meal options and get exactly what you want. Make sure that you include one of the Medifast Coupons so that you can get a great discounted price on your next Medifast Diet Plan.
Reprinted with the permission of:
Bottom Line Publications/Daily Health News
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