Advertisement
New Study Links Phytosterols To Lower Diabetes & Heart Disease Risk
Eating more fruits and vegetables is consistently one of the most recommended pieces of nutrition advice for decreasing the risk of chronic disease. Fruits and vegetables are vital sources of vitamins, minerals, and fiber. They also provide a unique compound called phytosterols.
Phytosterols are plant-based compounds that resemble cholesterol (from a structural standpoint) but work differently in the body. Previous research shows that phytosterol supplements are effective at lowering LDL cholesterol1. But less is known about how dietary intake influences health.
So that’s exactly what researchers of a new study set out to investigate.
About the study
Researchers from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health were specifically interested in understanding how phytosterol consumption influences heart disease and diabetes risk.
To do that, they analyzed data from over 200,000 health professionals (mostly women), making note of the number of folks who developed heart disease or type 2 diabetes and measuring related markers in the blood and gut microbiome.
Participants regularly filled out detailed questionnaires about what they ate. From that information, researchers were able to estimate total phytosterol intake, and group folks into categories and high- and low-consumers of the compound.
Overall, the study didn’t just ask: Do people who eat more phytosterols get less heart disease and diabetes?
It also asked: What’s happening biologically to support that connection?—looking at inflammation, insulin regulation, blood metabolites, and gut microbes.
Eating more phytosterols improved health outcomes
Results showed that people who ate more phytosterol-rich foods (like vegetables, fruits, nuts, and whole grains) were 9% less likely to develop heart disease and 8% less likely to develop type 2 diabetes.
Further analysis also revealed that a higher phytosterol intake leads to:
- Healthier markers of insulin sensitivity and inflammation
- Favorable changes in blood metabolites
- A gut microbiome enriched with beneficial bacteria that may help break down phytosterols
So what does a high phytosterol diet look like?
Those who had the highest phytosterol intake typically ate these foods daily:
- 4-5 servings of vegetables
- 2-3 servings of fruit
- 2 servings of whole grains
- ½ serving of nuts
On average, many U.S. adults consume 1 serving of fruit and 1.5 servings2 of veggies a day. So there’s a lot of room for improvement. And yes, even if you’re eating a high-protein diet, prioritizing these plant-based foods is still crucial for supporting overall health.
How to increase your intake
A few simple tweaks to your diet can do wonders in increasing your general intake of these healthy foods while adding more phytosterols to your diet.
- Add veggies to meals you already make: That could look like tossing spinach into eggs, piling shredded cabbage into shrimp tacos, or stirring frozen broccoli into pasta during the last few minutes of boiling.
- Layer in more variety: If you usually reach for spinach or broccoli, try rotating in things like Brussels sprouts, cabbage, or sweet potatoes to get a broader range of phytosterols and other bioactives.
- Add a sprinkle of nuts or seeds: Toss chopped walnuts on yogurt, sunflower seeds on salad, or chia seeds into smoothies.
- Aim for one extra serving a day. That might mean a second vegetable at dinner or munching on a sleep-promoting fruit before bed (yes, some fruits can help you sleep).
Further support your heart health & blood sugar with this
The thing is, even if you increase your intake of these foods, there’s a good chance you’re still falling slightly shy of the recommended fiber intake. To help close that gap and target other specific markers of heart health and blood sugar control, then consider adding a fiber supplement to your routine.
A high-quality fiber supplement (like one of these expert-vetted picks) helps3:
- Stabilize blood sugar levels
- Lowers LDL cholesterol
- Feeds beneficial gut bacteria
- Improves regularity
In fact, guar fiber (which you can really only find in supplements) may even boost the cholesterol-lowering4 and anti-inflammatory effects of phytosterols.
Guar fiber is soluble, so it forms a gel-like consistency in the gut. This may help phytosterols stay in the digestive tract longer, giving them more time to block cholesterol.
The takeaway
Adding more fruits and veggies to your diet while incorporating some nuts, seeds, and whole grains is an effective way to lower your risk of common chronic diseases. Plus, these additions are great complements to a higher-protein diet.