In general , markers for cholesterol absorption and synthesis displayed reciprocal patterns , showing that cholesterol metabolism is tightly regulated by the interplay of intestinal absorption and endogenous synthesis .
Distinctive patterns for cholesterol absorption or cholesterol synthesis could be identified , suggesting that metabolic disorders can be classified as ' cholesterol absorbers or cholesterol synthesizers ' .
Non-cholesterol sterols are vali date d biomarkers for intestinal cholesterol absorption and endogenous cholesterol synthesis .
However , their use in metabolic disturbances has not been systematic ally explored .
Therefore , we conducted a systematic review to provide an overview of non-cholesterol sterols as markers for cholesterol metabolism in different metabolic disorders .
Plasma levels of plant sterols and the risk of coronary artery disease: the prospective EPIC-Norfolk Population Study Published, JLR Papers in Press, October 30, 2006.
Some studies have suggested that a modest increase of plant sterol levels is a risk factor for coronary artery disease ( CAD ) . We studied the relationship between plant sterol levels and CAD risk in a prospect i ve nested case-control study consisting of 373 cases and 758 controls . Sitosterol and campesterol concentrations did not differ between cases and controls [ sitosterol , 0.21 vs. 0.21 mg/dl ( P = 0.1 ) ; campesterol , 0.31 vs. 0.32 mg/dl ( P = 0.5 ) ] . The sitosterol-to-cholesterol ratio was significantly lower in cases than in controls ( 1.19 vs. 1.29 μg/mg ; P = 0.008 ) , whereas the campesterol-to-cholesterol ratio did not differ significantly ( 1.78 vs. 1.88 μg/mg ; P = 0.1 ) . Plant sterol concentrations correlated positively with cholesterol levels and inversely with body mass index and triglyceride and lathosterol concentrations . Among individuals in the highest tertile of the sitosterol concentration , the unadjusted odds ratio ( OR ) for future CAD was 0.75 [ 95 % confidence interval ( CI ) = 0.56–1.01 ] . After adjustment for traditional risk factors , the OR was 0.79 ( 95 % CI = 0.56–1.13 ) . For the campesterol concentration , the unadjusted OR was 0.95 ( 95 % CI = 0.71–1.29 ) and the adjusted OR was 0.97 ( 95 % CI = 0.68–1.39 ) . In this large prospect i ve study , higher levels of plant sterols , at least in the physiological range , do not appear to be adversely related to CAD in apparently healthy individuals
In general , markers for cholesterol absorption and synthesis displayed reciprocal patterns , showing that cholesterol metabolism is tightly regulated by the interplay of intestinal absorption and endogenous synthesis .
Distinctive patterns for cholesterol absorption or cholesterol synthesis could be identified , suggesting that metabolic disorders can be classified as ' cholesterol absorbers or cholesterol synthesizers ' .
Non-cholesterol sterols are vali date d biomarkers for intestinal cholesterol absorption and endogenous cholesterol synthesis .
However , their use in metabolic disturbances has not been systematic ally explored .
Therefore , we conducted a systematic review to provide an overview of non-cholesterol sterols as markers for cholesterol metabolism in different metabolic disorders .