β-sitosterol or beta-sitosterol is one of several bioactive substances or phytosterols with a chemical structure similar to cholesterol.
β-sitosterol is widespread in the plant kingdom. It is mainly found in vegetable oils, nuts, beans and avocados.
Research on β-Sitosterol
There has been quite a bit of scientific research on β-sitosterol and the results seem to be positive. What is certain is that β-sitosterol can help lower cholesterol levels by limiting the amount of cholesterol that can enter the body. It can also help reduce swelling in the prostate - an enlarged prostate (BPH) - and other tissues [1] .
The Dutch Heart Foundation reports that plant sterols, including β-sitosterol, reduce the absorption of cholesterol from the intestines. By consuming 1.5 to 3 grams of plant sterols daily, you can lower your cholesterol by about 10%, which significantly reduces the risk of developing cardiovascular disease .
Scientific research also shows that β-sitosterol neutralizes inflammatory reactions in liver, kidney, lung and heart tissues [2] . Although this effect has only been demonstrated in laboratory rats, such an effect can often be observed in humans as well. In the meantime, research shows that β-sitosterol has positive effects on (the development of) rheumatoid arthritis , a condition in which your joints are inflamed [3] . A lot of β
-Sitosterol in extra virgin olive
oil Now you are of course wondering whether extra virgin olive oil also contains a fair amount of that β-sitosterol. The answer to that is yes, because extra virgin olive oil contains between 94.3 and 173.2 milligrams per 100 grams [4] . Is that a lot, is the next question. Yes, it turns out that extra virgin olive oil, compared to other vegetable oils, contains quite a bit of that specific phytosterol ( 'specifically, olive oil and olive pomace oil have a high β-sitosterol concentration' ) [5] .
So we can conclude here that β-Sitosterol has quite a few positive effects on your overall health. We already saw that this bioactive substance, besides in extra virgin olive oil, is mainly found in nuts, beans and avocados. That already sounds quite a lot like the much-vaunted Mediterranean diet, where you prepare yourself for healthy aging.
[1] Wilt et al: beta-sitosterol for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia: a systematic review in BJU International – 1999
[2] Maarouf et al: Ondansetron or beta-sitosterol antagonizes inflammatory responses in liver, kidney, lung and heart tissues of irradiated arthritic rats model in International Journal of Immunopathology and Pharmacology – 2024. Seehier.
[3] Qian et al: β-Sitosterol Inhibits Rheumatoid Synovial Angiogenesis Through Suppressing VEGF Signaling Pathway in Frontiers in Pharmacology - 2022
[4] Li et al: Qualitative and quantitative analysis of β-sitosterol marker in virgin camellia oil and virgin olive oil in Food quality and Safety – 2023
[5] Sofia Chanioti et al: β-Sitosterol as a functional bioactive by A Centum of Valuable Plant Bioactives - 2021
