UPSC 2016 CDS I GK Paper

Plants contain a variety of sterols, like stigmasterol, ergosterol, sitosterol, etc., which very closely resemble cholesterol. These plant sterols are referred to as Phytosterols. Phytosterols are plant sterols structurally similar to cholesterol that act in the intestine to lower cholesterol absorption. Because they have very low systemic absorption and are already present in healthy diets, increasing the intake of Phytosterols may be a practical way to reduce coronary heart disease with minimum risk. Phytosterols displace cholesterol from intestinal micelles, reducing the pool of absorbable cholesterol.