Plant Sterols

Article originally appeared in the Nanaimo News Bulletin

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    This is the time of the year that many people are thinking about building their immune systems.  Instead of just discussing the common immune boosters such as vitamins A and C, zinc, selenium, Echinacea, astragalus, and so on, I will discuss a versatile, powerful tool that not only helps the immune system, but a host of other health conditions as well.

    This tool I am talking about is part of a group of plant sterols.  Sterols are fats that have a similar structure to cholesterol, but have totally different biological functions.  Plant sterols are found in the cells and cell membranes of many foods such as grains, nuts, and seeds.  The most beneficial and most studied plant sterol is beta sitosterol.

    Hundreds of studies, using tens of thousands of human subjects have found this sterol to be effective in preventing disease and maintaining health.  It is also very safe, since no known toxicity has been found.  The research has found beta sitosterol to have anti-inflammatory, anti-cholesterol, anti-diabetic, anti-cancer, and immunomodulatory properties.  

    Immunomodulatory means to regulate or balance the immune system.  If someone has a weak immune system and they pick up colds or flues easily or if they have cancer, beta sitosterol can activate the T-cells (immune cells that go to the thymus to be activated) and natural killers cells; these cells fight foreign organisms that invade the body and also fight cancerous cells.  On the other hand, if the immune system is over active, as is the case with allergies or autoimmune disorders, beta sitosterol can calm down the immune system.

    In the area of cancer, scientific studies performed over the last dozen years indicates that beta sitosterol has a powerful inhibitory effect on breast, prostate, and colon cancer.  The sterol inhibits the growth of these types of tumors and stimulates cell death.  Is this exciting or what?

    It is estimated that over 35 million people in North America suffer from one form of allergy or another.  As our environment becomes more toxic, more and more people will develop allergies as their immune systems become dysfunctional.  Sterols prevent allergies by stopping the body’s production of histamines and by down-regulating a class of T-cells that mediate allergic reactions.

     As wonderful as plant sterols appear to be, it is difficult to get enough just from eating foods.  First of all, the nutrient is bound to the fibers of plants making them difficult to absorb during digestion.  Secondly, the sterols found in food can be easily destroyed through food processing.  Lastly, sterols are eliminated quite rapidly from the body.  All this translates into the need to take sterols in the form of a supplement daily if you want their therapeutic effects.

    The very best product that Dr. Yim has found is called Sterol 117 by Celt Naturals.  One capsule a day gives you 300 mg of beta sitosterol, 20 mg of Enzogenol, a potent antioxidant and immune booster, and 50 mg of Biolysate, which improves absorption of the above two ingredients and is itself an immune booster.

    If you are looking for one fantastic, all around immune balancer and you are tired to taking fistfuls of different products, try the Sterol 117.