Clinical studies in men and women with Type 2 diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, and known CHD have shown that sitostanol ester, a saturated derivative of a plant sterol, can lower total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol approximately 10%. It has no significant effect on HDL-cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
The primary mechanism is blockage of cholesterol absorption. One small randomized study of women demonstrated an additive effect of sitostanol in combination with simvistatin. Caution should be exercised in patients on medications because of limited information about drug interactions (Grundy, 2005 [R]; Gylling, 1994 [C]; Gylling, 1997 [A]; Miettinen, 1995 [A]; Vanhanen, 1993 [A]). |