Beta-Sitosterol

Beta-Sitosterol

The April 25, 1994 Issue of Newsweek introduced to the world a new term - 'Phytochemicals', or plant chemicals, which are fast becoming the new research frontier in the war against many of the West's deadliest diseases. There have been literally thousands of studies and medical reports that attest to the effectiveness of these natural wonders in protecting health and preventing illness. Beta-sitosterol is one of these remarkable plant nutrients which scientific studies are proving to be a major, safe and non-toxic nutrient for the maintenance of health and for protection against many serious health disorders and diseases.

What is beta-sitosterol?

The Importance of a Daily Intake of beta-sitosterol

Beta-sitosterol is natural, safe to use and non-toxic

Beta-sitosterol and beta-sitosterol glucoside stimulate human peripheral blood lymphocyte proliferation: Implications for their use as an immunomodulatory vitamin combination.

Author: Bouic, P.J.D.; Etsebeth, S.; Liebenberg, R.W.; Albrecht, C.F.; Pegel, K.; Van Jaarsveld, P.P.
Source: International Journal of Immunopharmacology, vol. 18, no. 12, pp. 693-700, Dec. 1996

This study reports on a series of in vivo and in vitro studies which clearly demonstrate that the plant sterols and sterolins (B-Sitosterol and its glucoside, B-sitosterolin) have immunomodulatory properties. The first experiment performed in vitro demonstrated that sterols and sterolins had a significant proliferative effect on human T-cells. The effect was observed in extremely low concentrations of sterol/sterolins on the order of 1 fentogram which represents only 150 molecules of sterol and 10 molecules of sterolin. The best response was obtained when a 100:1 sterol/sterolin mixture was given. The same study was repeated on a small number of human subjects (8) indicating a T-cell proliferative response from 20% to 920% after 4 weeks on the sterol/sterolin mixture. No increase was observed for the 2 subjects receiving placebos. The peak activity of the sterol/sterolin mixture occurred at 6 hours in the in vitro experiments, indicating an effect in the initial stages of T-cell proliferation and activation of membrane antigens. Another in vitro experiment showed significant increase in the cyokines (immune communication molecule) interleukin-2 and gamma-interferon on the order between 17% and 41%. Another in vitro experiment showed increase in Natural Killer Cell activity for the lysis of experimental cancer cells with the sterol/sterolin mixture. Although sterols and sterolins are poorly absorbed and are not synthesized in the human body, daily intake is required to maintain an optimal immune response. These experiments prove that a 100:1 sterol/sterolin mixture is a potent immunomodulator with important implications for the treatment and restoration of immune dysfunctions.

The importance of sitosterol and sitosterolin in human and animal nutrition

Author: Karl H. Pegel, Department of Chemistry and Applied Chemistry, University of Natal , Durban , South Africa . Source: South African Journal of Science, v. 93, pp. 263-268, June 1997

Recent research indicates that the health-promoting benefits of a plant-based diet may be due to the presence of plant-derived cholesterol analogues known as sterols and sterolins. These compounds which are structurally similar to cholesterol are ubiquitous throughout the plant kingdom. Although absorbed at a rate 800 to 1,000 less than cholesterol, they appear to have important immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory activities in human and animal physiology. Human research indicates plant sterols and sterolins to have important anti-inflammatory, anti-ulcer, anti-diabetic, anti-cancer and T-cell proliferative activity. Medical uses already include the treatment of hypercholesterolemia, benign prostatic hypertrophy and rheumatoid arthritis. Plant sterols and sterolins are thought to be responsible for the health benefits of a variety of medicinal herbs including saw palmetto, pygeum, pumpkin seeds, devil's claw, milk thistle, ginkgo, Panax and Siberian ginseng. They have adaptogenic properties which make them an essential part of an optimal diet. Modern food processing and dietary choices have resulted in daily intake less than the optimal 200-300 mg. Even some vegetarian diets appear to result in a deficient quantity of plant sterols and sterolins. Supplementation of the diet with plant sterols and sterolins provides important therapeutic as well as preventative health benefits.

Plant sterols and sterolins for maintaining the immune system

After ten years of clinical trials in immune modulation, HIV and tuberculosis by researchers at the University of Stellenbosch Medical Faculty (led by Professor Bouic, Dept. Medical Microbiology and his colleagues in other departments), research data has satisfied peer reviews and is now enjoying publication in international scientific journals. The company sponsoring the research, has for many years been convinced of the immunomodulatory effects of sterols and sterolins if used in the correct ratio of a 100:1. Clinical trials in pulmonary tuberculosis and HIV positive patients have proved this.

The HIV positive patients maintain their immune cells over an extended period of time with no overt signs of disease progression whilst the TB patients recover from the disease more quickly. Many anecdotal cases of autoimmune disease (e.g. Rheumatoid Arthritis, Systematic Lupus Erythematosus, Psoriasis) as well as certain cancers and diseases relating to a dysfunctional immune system, have been reported to have dissipated after the ingestion of sterols and sterolins.

The effect of the phytosterols on the human system offer several advantages in that they have no toxicity and have been extensively tested in animal studies as well as human clinical trials in over 25 000 patients with no adverse drug events or toxicity. They are also relatively inexpensive and can be used in conjunction with conventional therapies. It has been found that by taking sterols and sterolins, the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation may be prevented or greatly reduced. The sterols and sterolin mixture is internationally patented and will be made available to the international market as soon as possible.

Compiled by:

Prof Patrick J D Bouic
Chief Special Scientist / Head Immunology
Department of Medical Microbiology
University of Stellenbosch

Prostate gland disorders are probably the most common of health disorders in men affecting more than 65 % of men over the age of 40 and 75% of men over 50. The prostate gland is susceptible to infection, enlargement, benign tumors and cancer.

It is important to address prostate disorders early to prevent serious problems developing. Unfortunately many men wait too long to do something about it, because it begins very quietly and progresses very slowly.

Numerous scientific studies show that Beta-sitosterol, which is a little known naturally occurring plant fat, is among the most effective treatments for prostate enlargement known. It has a faster onset of action and none of the adverse side effects which are associated with conventional medicines, and it is also less expensive.

Beta-sitosterol helps to reduce prostate symptoms and prostate size and is now being used effectively to treat BPH conditions including: failure to urinate, nocturnal urination, frequent urination, residual urine, abdominal heaviness, voiding volume, prostate volume and peak flow.

Beta-sitosterol has also been shown in very recent studies, to inhibit the growth of human prostate cancer cells in the laboratory.

Our diets today, generally do not include enough vegetables, whole foods, seeds and grains to provide an adequate amount of beta-sitosterol to protect us against prostate problems naturally.

Natural plant beta-sitosterol supplements can provide optimal levels of sterols to ensure that we are always protected.

How can beta-sitosterol help prostate disorders

Numerous scientific studies have shown Beta-sitosterol to be among the most effective treatments for prostate enlargement known.

For centuries, saw palmetto berries and other plant species including African pygeum, stinging nettle, pumpkin seeds, rye pollen and star grass have been used in patients with prostate and urinary problems.

The remarkable connection in all traditionally used plant remedies for prostate disorders is the beta-sitosterol complex.

Recent studies have found beta-sitosterol to have a faster onset of action and no adverse side effects compared with conventional drugs, and it is now used effectively to treat BPH conditions including: failure to urinate, nocturnal urination, frequent urination, residual urine, abdominal heaviness, voiding volume, prostate volume and peak flow.

Scientists have shown that beta-sitosterol helps to reduce prostate enlargement and symptoms as follows:

Note: Please see the sections towards the end of this article for further scientific studies and references.

Our diets today generally do not include enough fresh vegetables and whole foods to provide an adequate amount of beta-sitosterol to enhance the immune system and manage the problem of BPH naturally.

Natural plant sterol supplements can provide optimal levels of sterols to ensure that we are always protected.

What are the signs of a prostate disorder?

Prostate disorders affect most men over 40!

What is the prostate?

The Prostate gland lies at the base of the bladder in men and is about the size of a walnut. It shaped like a donut and encircles the male urinary tract, which is the urinary passage carrying urine from the bladder.

Due to its location, if it becomes inflamed or enlarged it can cause blockage of the bladder outlet and restrict urinary flow

The prostate gland is part of the male reproductive system and is made up of millions of tiny glands as well as muscle and fibrous tissue.

These small glands are stimulated by the hormone androgen and secrete a nutritious fluid which helps in the transportation of healthy semen.

The prostate is vital to proper bladder control and urine flow-rate control.

The prostate is also essential for normal sexual function. It is the gland of ejaculation, supplying 95% of the seminal fluid, plus the power to expel it through the urethra and out of the penis.

Prostate size often increases with age, particularly once a man gets over the age of 40.

Because the urethra runs right through the middle of it and it has a fibrous outer skin, growth of the prostate puts inward pressure on the urethra and will squeeze it and begin to choke off the urinary flow.

If left untreated, the obstruction becomes more severe and may result in serious changes in the urinary bladder, urethra and kidneys, and may perpetuate urinary tract infections  

Why does benign prostatic hyperplasla (BPH), occur in men aged 40 and over?

Testosterone, which is a male sex hormone and is important for many male related characteristics, undergoes certain hormonal changes that occur with age, when men reach their 40's and over.

The pituitary gland begins to increase the production a hormone called prolactin and prolactin causes the production of an enzyme called 5-alpha-reductase.

When the 5-alpha-reductase enzyme starts reactivating, it begins to convert the already declining levels of testosterone into excessive amounts of dihydrotestosterone (DHT)

Dihydrotesterone is a potent substance known as an androgen, which causes the prostate cells to swell, resulting in an enlarged prostate.

This results in pressure on the urethra which causes an obstruction in the urethra and interferes with the flow of urine from the bladder.

Although BPH is not a dangerous condition in itself, if left untreated, it can result in inflammation or infection of the genitourinary tract, which may cause prostatitis, and other complications.

Extreme prostate obstruction may require an operation.

Prevention should start well before any symptoms appear, and diets high in saturated fats, red meat and concentrated protein, which appear to be primary causes, should be restricted.

Nutritional imbalances, stress and environmental pollution often complicate BPH.

Many of these problems can be helped or alleviated through proper diet and nutritional supplementation.  

Prostate Cancer

Research has shown that even by the age of 30, up to 25% of men have some prostate cancer cells present. By the age of 50, it is estimated that 35% of men have cancer cells in their prostate.

Cancer of the prostate is the most common male cancer affecting British men with the average lifetime risk of occurrence being about 1 in 12. It can be either benign or malignant. Cancer cells are virtually inevitable in the prostates of men who live to their 70's and 80's.

Over 10,000 men die from prostate cancer in the UK every year.

The numbers are rising faster than any other form of cancer and it is estimated that prostate cancer will triple over the next 20 years to 1 in 4 men.

Most cases of prostate cancer do not come with an automatic death sentence. In contrast to some other types of cancer, cancer of the prostate can be treated fairly effectively even when it has spread.

It is important to prevent or control the disease at the earliest possible stage.

N.B. If you are concerned about prostate cancer, see your GP

If there is any concern, your GP should always be consulted. A blood test known as a P.S.A. test or Prostate Specific Antigen test, together with an examination of the gland should be sufficient to rule out any problem. The PSA test measures the blood level of a protein produced by all prostate cells. As the prostate begins to enlarge, the growing number of cells contribute to what is usually a steady but slight rise in the PSA count. If prostate cells become cancerous and begin multiplying, the PSA level jumps dramatically.

Natural Treatments and Prevention

A growing number of doctors are coming to the conclusion that since prostate disease is primarily a result of nutritional imbalances and a degenerative lifestyle, BPH and prostate cancer can be prevented and treated by adjusting ones diet and feeding the body the nutrients it lacks.

One plant nutrient in particular, which is contained in all traditionally used herbal remedies for BPH, and known as BETA-SITOSTEROL, has in recent scientific studies, been found to have a faster onset of action than conventional prostate drugs but with no adverse side effects and it is also a lot less expensive

Recent well carried out scientific studies have shown overwhelming evidence that natural dietary supplements can result in significantly high success rates when treating prostate disorders.

Scientists say their studies suggest that a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains and soy could help men avoid prostate cancer, currently the leading cause of premature death from cancer among men.

If making dietary changes can fight prostate cancer, then costly and painful treatments like surgery could be used less often.

The Asian diet which is high in vegetables, whole grains and soy, seems related to healthy prostates. Nutritional components in these foods appear to maintain the proper working systems within the prostate and prevent the cellular disruptions that lead to metastatic cancer.

It makes common sense to take advantage of safe nutritional adjuncts which may deter prostate enlargement or prostate cancer.

Research clearly indicates that balancing the prostate gland's nutritional deficiencies which increase with age, are more effectively influenced by correcting the underlying nutritional imbalance than by treating the gland with prescription drugs, all of which have well known adverse side effects.

Because nutritional supplementation is so effective, safe and inexpensive, it should always be considered before embarking on drugs with debilitating side effects and invasive surgery where possible.

In addition to the phytonutrient and antioxidant beta-sitosterol, critical elements in preventing prostate disease include antioxidants, such as beta carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium, critical minerals required to activate your body's own internal antioxidant system (your superoxide dismutase), which are copper, zinc and manganese.

Other natural remedies for managing the problem of BPH, all of which contain small amounts of the beta-sitosterol complex, include pumpkin seeds, saw palmetto berries, African Pygeum and stinging nettle root.

Supplements need to be taken over a period of time. Although improvement is usually noted within two to three weeks, treatment needs to last at least six to nine months.  

Dietary imbalances and prostate disease

Prostate disease, along with other major chronic diseases, is believed to be primarily a result of western lifestyles including a diet high in refined, processed foods, high in saturated animal fat and low in vegetables, fruit, whole foods, and fibre.

There is a great deal of anecdotal evidence which points the finger at diet as being a major contributory factor in predisposing men to, or accelerating prostate disease.

In many Asian and African countries men have only five per cent of the prostate problems found in western industrialized countries like the USA and Europe .

This does not result from genetic differences because Asian and African men who move to industrialized countries and adopt their diets, develop the same degenerative diseases and in many cases more severely.

There is now compelling evidence that the single most important cause of prostate disorders results from dietary imbalances including too much saturated fat and not enough whole foods in our diets.

Vegetarians are approximately half as likely to develop prostate cancer as meat eaters.

The incidence of prostate problems in Mediterranean regions, where a high proportion of the fat calories consumed come from olive and other vegetable oils is substantially less than the rest of Europe and the USA .

Areas such as the UK , which experience a high level of heart disease also have high levels of prostate cancer

Diet may be one of the easiest changes to make to help in the prevention of prostate cancer.

Dietary fat can affect the levels of testosterone in men's bodies and since testosterone feeds prostate cancers, there may well be link between the two.

The mineral and vitamin content of foods in industrialized nations today has declined dramatically.

Studies by nutritional scientists in the US have shown that up to 91% of us do not get the recommended daily allowance (RDA) in nutrients and minerals.

Among the primary reasons for this nutrient deficiency is the over use of commercial fertilizers, over-processing food, preserving and packaging of foods for a longer shelf life and a more toxic and unsafe environment.

Modern farming methods have depleted the essential nutrients we require in our food in the soil by as much as 90%.

Many of these minerals are believed to be important for prostate health including; manganese, zinc, selenium, copper, and others which are not replenished by the farmer.

The degeneration of food leads to degenerative diseases which, combined with our fast-paced stressful lifestyle is slowly killing us.

Better nutrition is the answer! Diet and lifestyle are primary in combating prostate disease.  

Conventional Medicine

Generally speaking, many doctors consider the only medically approved treatments for prostate disorders to be prescription drugs and/or invasive surgery.

Most will not recommend either a prevention or a treatment programme based on nutrition and/or supplementation.

Some of the drugs used, have proved only marginally effective, and many have several quite debilitating side effects. Some of the adverse side effects experienced by four of the most commonly used drugs include: dizziness, hypertension, nausea, abnormal ejaculation, headache, palpitations, impotence, decreased libido and hypersensitivity.

Doctors will readily prescribe these drugs notwithstanding the serious drawbacks associated with their use even though most are only marginally effective and are slow to take effect or relieve symptoms.

These drugs can also mask the diagnosis of cancer by lowering the PSA count in the blood and they can create a reduced sexual desire.

Surgery for prostate disease can be debilitating and dangerous. In the case of cancer surgery, harmful radiation and serious microwave damage to tissues can occur.

Following prostatectomy operations, some studies have found 70% of men suffer from impotence and 40% of men become incontinent as a result of surgery.  

Scientific Studies

The following research studies prove repeatedly that beta-sitosterol is among the most effective treatments for prostate enlargement known.
British Journal of Urology (vol. 80, p.427-32, 1997) Specific and exacting protocols were applied in a meticulous study by Klippel et al, using pure beta-sitosterol which established what a powerful supplement beta-sitosterol complex is for BPH.
British Journal of Urology (vol. 78, p. 325-36, 1996) Buck and his colleagues produced a comprehensive review of phytosterols and also explain the 5-alpha-reductase inhibition, lack of side effects and androgen blocking effects.
Lancet (vol. 345, p. 1529-1532, 1995) Berges, R. in a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trial of beta-sitosterol in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia, found that pure beta-sitosterol complex, showed significant improvement in symptoms and urinary flow parameters in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia.
Current Therapeutic Research (vol. 55, p. 776-85, 1994) Braeckman et al studied over 500 patients with BPH symptoms and found dramatic improvements in 9 out 10 patients in only 45 days using a high phytosterol content extract of saw palmetto. This is a painstaking and cautious multi-centre open study which proves without doubt the effectiveness and safety of highly concentrated phytosterol extracts in the treatment of BPH. These studies substantiate how 5-alpha-reductase is inhibited so that testosterone cannot be converted to DHT.
European Urology, (vol. 26, p. 247-52, 1994) Strauch, G. Compares finasteride drug and saw palmetto in the inhibition of 5-alpha-reductase in healthy male volunteers showing the effectiveness of beta-sitosterol.
European Urology (vol. 21, p. 309-24, 1992) Di Silverio and his colleagues showed the effectiveness of very powerful saw palmetto extracts in treating BPH. This was due to the phytosterols exhibiting an anti-estrogenic activity in prostatic tissue of BPH patients. It also showed a powerful inhibition in the conversion of testosterone into dihydrotestosterone by blocking 5-alpha-reductase.
Arch Ital Urol Nefrol Androl (vol. 63 p. 341-5, 1991) Carani, C. et al carried out a urological and sexual evaluation of treatment of benign prostatic disease using Pygeum africanum at high doses with positive results.

Wien Klin Wochenschr (vol. 23, p. 667, 1990) Barlet, A. had dramatic improvements in a double-blind, placebo controlled, multi-centre study with 263 BPH patients using a Pygeum africanum extract.

Med. Sci. Res. (vol. 16, p. 1067-68, 1988) Malini et al., reduced the weight of the dorsolateral prostate using pure beta-sitosterol.

Urologe A (vol. 24, p. 49-51, 1985) Vontobel et al., using highly concentrated extract of stinging nettle root, in which beta-sitosterol is the only sufficiently-concentrated active ingredient, effectively treated BPH.

British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology (vol. 18, p. 461-2, 1984) Champault et al., dramatically reduced night urination, greatly improved urine flow rate and reduced bladder residual urine when treating BPH using phytosterols, which acted as an anti-androgen to prevent the formation of DHT (dihydrotestosterone) and inhibit 5-alpha-reductase.

J Ann Urol ( Paris ) (vol. 18, p. 193-5, 1984) Dufoour, B. showed, in a controlled study, the effectiveness of beta-sitosterol from an extract of African pygeum, on the functional symptoms of prostatic adenoma.

Pharmacy (vol. 79, p. 327, 1983) Briley showed that beta-sitosterol inhibited DHT through its anti-androgenic action.

Fortschrifte Med. (vol. 101, p. 713-16 (1983) Schmidt et al used a high beta-sitosterol complex from concentrated stinging nettle to improve BPH and also discovered a powerful reduction in hormone binding globulin and a decrease in DHT binding, indicating that beta-sitosterol prevents the normal negative action of DHT.

The following research studies show the potential of beta-sitosterol in the treatment of prostate tumors and prostate cancer.

Sixth International Conference of Anti-Cancer Research in Kallithea , Greece . (26/10/98) Atif Awad et al, at the University at Buffalo have provided the first evidence that a minor plant-based fat called B-sitosterol appears to play a role in inhibiting the growth of human prostate cancer cells. They found that Beta-sitosterol, a fat abundant in vegetarian diets, enhances an intracellular signaling system that tells cells not to divide. The study showed a 28 percent inhibition of prostate-cancer cell growth after exposure to Beta-sitosterol for five days in vitro. "This phytosterol replaces some of the cell membrane's cholesterol, which changes the membrane lipid composition in such a way that signal transduction (secondary messenger activity) is stimulated, and that activation inhibits cell growth," Awad explained. "If cell proliferation can be stopped before it becomes uncontrolled, cancer can be contained. When we treated prostate cancer cells with phytosterols, cell proliferation was inhibited. We have found the same effect in vitro with breast and colon cancer cells." This activity may help to explain why vegetable fats, such as olive oil, in the diet reduce the risk of developing certain cancers, said Awad.

Texas A&M University 's Institute of Biosciences and Technology in Houston . Scientists say their studies suggest that a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains and soy could help men avoid prostate cancer, currently the second leading cause of death among men. Molecular biologist Wallace McKeehan and a team of researchers at the IBT are exploring how nutritive factors may treat or even prevent the development of prostate cancer and related diseases. If making dietary changes can fight prostate cancer, says McKeehan, director of the IBT's Center For Cancer Biology and Nutrition, then costly and painful treatments like surgery could be used less often. McKeehan says knowing that prostate disease is much less common in Asia than it is in the West scientists have tried to explain why Chinese and Japanese men who move to the United States experience 10 to 30 times more prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) than do their brethren who stay home. Researchers recently have turned their attention to dietary factors that seem to keep the prostate functioning properly. The Asian diet -- high in vegetables, fruits, whole grains and soy -- seems related to healthy prostates, says McKeehan. Nutritional components in these foods appear to maintain the proper working systems within the prostate and prevent the cellular disruptions that lead to metastatic cancer.

Minerva Urologica e Nefrologica (vol. 37, p. 87-91, 1985) Tasca, A. and others, in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, scientific study, successfully treated BPH patients with obstructive symptomology caused by prostatic adenoma, (tumor). They used a high percentage of beta-sitosterol which improved flow rate, other urinary symptoms, and also reduced tumor size. In addition, liver function was enhanced and blood parameters were improved.

Fortschrifte Medizin (vol. 98, p. 69-72, 1980) Zahradnik and his colleagues showed that beta-sitosterol blocked the expansion of prostate adenoma (tumor) and inhibited prostaglandins that are known to support tumor growth  

Anecdotal evidence

YOU Magazine, in South Africa has published a story of a 78-year-old man who was given a traditional Zulu herbal medicine which has a high concentration of Beta-sitosterol. This man was discharged from hospital with advanced prostate cancer and sent home to die. His children were gathered around his deathbed when a neighbour came over with a Hypoxis plant bulb. He told the family to make a brew from it and give it to the dying man to drink. A week later the man could sit up in bed and his appetite has returned. He lived for another 10 years to the age of 86.
Beta-sitosterol has been shown in recent scientific studies to have a crucial role in modulating the immune system. It both boosts an under-performing immune system to help it fight viral and other infections such as colds and flu and also calms down or corrects the underlying immune dysfunction of an overactive immune system as in autoimmune disorders such as arthritis.  

How can beta-sitosterol help the immune system?

What is the immune system?

What are T-cells and why are they so important?

What are the consequences of a weak immune system?

The natural plant fat, Beta-sitosterol, is recognized and used to effectively lower cholesterol levels in humans with virtually no changes in diet or exercise. Scores of scientific studies show that, because Beta-sitosterol is very similar in its chemical composition to cholesterol, it confuses the body into accepting it as cholesterol thus interfering with the absorption of both dietary and circulating cholesterol. This helps to prevent the excess rise in serum cholesterol building up on the walls of the arteries which carry blood to the heart.  

How can beta-sitosterol help lower cholesterol?

Vegetarians were shown in the following study, to be protected from fat loading diets by their high intake of beta-sitosterol from plants. American J. Clin. Nutr., vol. 59, p. 1325-31 (1994)  

Why is high blood cholesterol level damaging to health?

The build-up of cholesterol in the artery walls is called "arteriosclerosis" and it narrows the arteries so that the flow of blood to the heart is restricted or blocked.

With less blood, the heart gets less oxygen which may cause chest pain, heart attack, or even death.

The cholesterol problem!

Beta-sitosterol has been shown in recent studies to be a valuable adjunct to the prevention and treatment of a wide range of stress related disorders, immune dysfunction and inflammatory disorders. Beta-sitosterol can protect and nourish a depressed immune systems as a result of both physical and emotional stress. Research indicates that chronic physical and psychological stress can wreak havoc on our bodies far beyond routine aches and pains, by weakening our immune systems making us more susceptible to infections and disease.

How can beta-sitosterol help stress-mediated disorders?

How does chronic stress damage our health?

Beta-sitosterol has been shown to be a powerful inhibitor of colon cancer in humans and to be a cancer preventative generally. Recent laboratory studies show dramatic anti-cancer properties of Beta-sitosterol in reducing cancer cell growth with breast cancer, prostate cancer and colon cancer. It also has shown strong anti-tumor properties in scientific studies.

Beta-sitosterol and cancer research studies

Anecdotal evidence

Beta-sitosterol has been found to help correct the underlying immune dysfunction typical in autoimmune disorders, including Lupus (SLE), Psoriasis, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and others. Beta-sitosterol goes to the source of the autoimmune disorder, which is an overactive immune system, whereby the immune system's B-cells produce antibodies which attack and destroy healthy cells at various sites in the body and gives rise to a variety of autoimmune disorders. Beta-sitosterol appears to activate the suppressor T-cells to instruct the B-cells to stop overproducing these self-destroying antibodies.  

How can beta-sitosterol help autoimmune disorders?

The problem underlying autoimmune disorders

What are autoimmune disorders?

Lupus

Psoriasis

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)

Multiple sclerosis

Beta-sitosterol has been found to help correct the underlying immune dysfunction typical in rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune disorders. Beta-sitosterol goes to the source of the arthritis disorder, which is the overactive immune system itself whereby the immune system's B-cells produce antibodies which attack and destroy synovial tissue located in joints. Beta-sitosterol appears to activate the suppressor T-cells to instruct the B-cells to stop overproducing these self-destroying antibodies.  

How can beta-sitosterol help rheumatoid arthritis?

The problem underlying rheumatoid arthritis

What is rheumatoid arthritis?

Rheumatoid arthritis prevention and treatment naturally

A recent scientific and clinical study has shown that plant sterols, notably Beta-sitosterol has the capacity to increase the life spans of HIV-positive patients by maintaining CD4 lymphocyte counts. But Beta-sitosterol is not a cure for AIDS and has no antiviral against the disease.

How can beta-sitosterol help HIV and AIDS?

Beta-sitosterol has an amazing array of scientifically acknowledged benefits for key areas of health. Health benefits which can all be supported by published studies in international journals show Beta-sitosterol to be: anti-hyperglycemic, anti-diabetic, anti-bacterial, anti-microbial, improve blood parameters, anti-inflammatory, anti-pyretic (reducing fever), beneficial for the uterus, anti-ulcer.

Diabetes and hyperglycemia benefits

Anti-bacterial and anti-microbial

Improves blood parameters

Ulcer benefits

Can stimulate hair growth

Anti-inflammatory and anti-pyretic ( fever reducing )

Uterus benefits