WHAT ARE PHYTOSTEROLS

PHYTOSTEROLS are very important plant fats, compounds with a structure similar to that of cholesterol. They control the movement of fluids in plant membranes and found in small quantities in every vegetable we eat.

Don't get put off by these two structures. This isn't a lesson in organic chemistry! But it may interesting to some. (I'm a Chem major hence odd references to molecular structures throughout this Chiropractic Help site. Chemistry is important!)

American National Cholesterol Education Program

This is where Naturopathic and Medical doctors find themselves poles apart. The former say we should be eating more foods that are rich in phytosterols. Medicine says we should enrich food and take drugs containing phytosterols. At great profit to the drug companies.

PHYTOSTEROLS AND CHOLESTEROL

PHYTOSTEROLS AND CANCER

They are not only improve the health of blood vessels but there are numerous studies indicating their anti-cancer (particularly breast, prostate and colon cancer) and anti-oxidant properties.

PHYTOSTEROL SITOSTEROL and THE PROSTATE GLAND

The maximum urinary flow rate (called Qmax) - the rate at which men can pee! - is reduced by prostate enlargement. Squaws wouldn't understand perhaps since they tend to have the exact opposite problem, a leaking bladder, but in brave talk, men have an "air-lock". It's difficult to initiate urination, and the stream is weak and slow. It takes for ever to have a sweet pee.

Perhaps worse, braves are unable to empty their bladders. The so-called PVR (post void residual) volume of urine is increased, meaning they have to pee more often, and often have to get up several times at night. Disturbed sleep leads to other problems, not least of which is short-term memory loss. Residual urine leads to bladder infections.

Non-bacterial prostatis, also called chronic pain pelvic syndrome, doesn't respond to antibiotics. It's a nasty condition causing men to urinate more frequently, with urgency as they are unable to empty the bladder. In short difficult, painful, frequent urination. It responds best perhaps to a prostate massage, a non-painful but awkward and embarrassing process by which your doctor (and some chiropractors) massage the prostate, via the anus, for about two minutes. For my money, that's I would do, rather than have a prostate operation which often leads to impotence. Two minute embarrassment once a month compared to permanent impotence?

Better still...

However, in the event that you have already started with chronic prostate problems, there is very interesting research that β Beta-Sitosterol, a common phytosterol, has a very significant effect on the prostate gland. "A typical California avocado weighing 173 grams would contain 132 mg beta-sitosterol." (K. Duester: J Am Dietetic Assoc, vol 101(4))In a powerful randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled research project (the gold standard of research), men gained dramatic relief within six weeks from taking 130 mg of beta-sitosterol daily. Not only did their symptoms decrease, but the residual urine in the bladder (determined by ultrasound scans) and the flow rate improved dramatically.

Eating natural phytosterols as in avocados has no side-effects, however there are concerns about in pill form there is also inhibition of the absorption of the fat soluble vitamins such as vitamin E. It's a completely natural substance that you should be eating every day. They are God's gift to the prostate!

A vegetarian might eat nearly 1000 mg of phytosterols (of which a large portion is beta-sitosterol) per day, but the meat-and-potatoes man might have almost none.

Research concluding that BETA SITOSTEROL is an effective treatment for BPH:

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1046/j.1464-410X.1997.t01-1-00362.x/full

RESULTS

CONCLUSION

PHYTOSTEROLS AND VARICOSE ULCERS AND HAEMORRHOIDS

PHYTOSTEROLS AND SESAME SEEDS

Sesame seeds had the highest total phytosterol content (400-413 mg per 100 grams), sunflower (270-289 mg/100 g), pumpkin seeds (265 mg/100 g).

The main problem with sesame seeds is that you have to "fletcherise" to get the get the nutritional value from them. Chew each mouthful 32 times! The best alternative is to dehull them making them into Tahini, a sort of sesame "peanut butter", only nicer, less spoiled with the addition of sugar and hydrogenated oils.

Tahini is widely used in the Middle East in various foods such as Hummus. What is SESAME TAHINI ...?

SEED OILS

This phytosterol complex is particularly heat labile - destructable.

Extraction of these seed oils involves multiple chemical extractions, heating, refining, degumming and bleaching which results in a loss of 10-70% (Kochhar, 1983; Phillips et al., 2002) of the phytosterol in comparison with their crude oils.

Furthermore, Piironenen et al., 2000 found that the refining regime causes significant oxidation and other intermolecular transformations of phytosterols.

PHYTOSTEROLS AS A FOOD ADDITIVE

http://books.google.co.za/books?id=I_fpl_9de9IC&pg=PA144&dq=B-sitosterol&hl=en&ei=Kcp9TYnwJoSHhQeGw7j5Bg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CEEQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=B-sitost

CONCLUSION

They are found in all vegetables, salads and seed oils. Fruit oils, from the olive and avocado too are rich in beta-sitosterol - up to 2%.

IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS

Why wait for varicose veins ulcers? Now is time to increase your cancer and cholesterol lowering plant phytosterols, and to think about a natural cure for varicose veins. Now is the time, TODAY, to start, for example by looking through our HEALTHY LIVING TIPS ...

Prevention is better than a cure, eh! If you enjoy cooking, even if you don't, then you might dip into these EASY SOUP RECIPES ... They are loaded with phytosterol sitosterol and its 250 first cousins, all there waiting for you, in the prevention of cancer and other diseases. They are also full of soluble fibre, the good stuff that prevents constipation, surely one of the greatest evils that besets the large bowel. A friend confided in me: having an operation for piles is like having a roll of barbed-wire stuck up your rear-end!