Plant Sterols and Stanols for Pediatric Patients with Increased Cardiovascular Risk

The atherosclerotic process begins in childhood and progresses throughout adult age. Hypercholesterolemia, especially familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) and metabolic dysfunctions linked to weight excess and obesity, are the main atherosclerosis risk factors in pediatric patients and can be detected...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Children (Basel) 2024-01, Vol.11 (1), p.129
Main Authors: Pederiva, Cristina, Biasucci, Giacomo, Banderali, Giuseppe, Capra, Maria Elena
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Atherosclerosis
Bioavailability
Cardiac patients
Cardiovascular disease
Cardiovascular diseases
cardiovascular prevention
Care and treatment
Carotenoids
childhood
Children
Cholesterol
Diet
Dietary supplements
Disease prevention
Food
Functional foods
Health aspects
Health care
Hypercholesterolemia
Lipids
Low density lipoproteins
Margarine
Metabolic disorders
Nutrition research
Oils & fats
Pediatrics
Phytosterols
plant stanols
plant sterols
Plasma
Risk factors
Sterols
Trans fatty acids
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Summary:The atherosclerotic process begins in childhood and progresses throughout adult age. Hypercholesterolemia, especially familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) and metabolic dysfunctions linked to weight excess and obesity, are the main atherosclerosis risk factors in pediatric patients and can be detected and treated starting from childhood. Nutritional intervention and a healthy-heart lifestyle are cornerstones and first-line treatments, with which, if necessary, drug therapy should be associated. For several years, functional foods enriched with plant sterols and stanols have been studied in the treatment of hypercholesterolemia, mainly as nutritional complements that can reduce LDL cholesterol; however, there is a lack of randomized controlled trials defining their long-term efficacy and safety, especially in pediatric age. This review aims to evaluate what the main published studies on sterols and stanols in pediatric subjects with dyslipidemia have taught us, providing an updated picture of the possible use of these dietary supplements in children and adolescents with dyslipidemia and increased cardiovascular risk. Nowadays, we can state that plant sterols and stanols should be considered as a valuable therapy in pediatric patients with hypercholesterolemia, bearing in mind that nutritional and lifestyle counseling and, when necessary, pharmacologic therapy, are the cornerstones of the treatment in developmental age.
ISSN:2227-9067
2227-9067
DOI:10.3390/children11010129