The Effect of Dietary Supplementation with Plant Sterols on Total and LDL-Cholesterol in Plasma Is Affected by Adherence to Mediterranean Diet: Insights from the DESCO Randomized Clinical Study

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Abstract

Plant sterols are well-known natural lipid-lowering agents. The DESCO (Diet and plant sterols in the control of cholesterolemia) study was a single-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, two-way crossover clinical trial designed to investigate the effect of a once-a-day ready-to-drink dietary supplement containing 2.5 g of phytosterols on the lipid profile, also in relation to the quality of the diet, in a cohort of 50 Italian individuals with polygenic hypercholesterolemia and low global cardiovascular risk. Eligible individuals were enrolled in a run-in period of 2 weeks. Then, participants who qualified for continuation in the study were randomly allocated (1:1) to a 3-week treatment with either phytosterols or placebo. After a 2-week washout period, enrolled individuals were crossed over to receive the alternative treatment. Dietary supplementation with phytosterols was associated with significant improvement in plasma levels of total cholesterol (TC; −11.8 ± 4.0 mg/dL, p = 0.016), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C; −7.8 ± 7.7 mg/dL, p = 0.021), and apolipoprotein B-100 (Apo B-100, −3.7 ± 4.1 mg/dL, p = 0.048) compared to baseline. The changes in TC and LDL-C were also significant compared to placebo, and greater adherence to the Mediterranean diet was significantly associated with greater reductions in LDL-C. Dietary supplementation with phytosterols was well tolerated and adherence to treatment was high. According to the findings of DESCO, the once-a-day ready-to-drink dietary supplement we tested is able to quickly and significantly decrease plasma levels of TC, LDL-C, and Apo B-100, with a greater effect in individuals more adhering to the Mediterranean dietary pattern.

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Cicero, A. F. G., Fogacci, F., Giovannini, M., Rizzoli, E., Grandi, E., D’Addato, S., & Borghi, C. (2023). The Effect of Dietary Supplementation with Plant Sterols on Total and LDL-Cholesterol in Plasma Is Affected by Adherence to Mediterranean Diet: Insights from the DESCO Randomized Clinical Study. Nutrients, 15(21). https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15214555

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