Have any clinical trials been done with plant sterols?

Plant sterols (phytosterols) have been clinically evaluated in many different populations, under different circumstances over the past 50 years.

In a number of studies plant sterols have demonstrated the ability to improve cholesterol levels in humans.

The health benefits of phytosterols have been well established, and public health authorities, such as the US National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP), are beginning to include phytosterols as part of their dietary recommendations (NCEP, 2001).