Cardiovascular Disease Prevention: The Earlier the Better? A Review of Plant Sterol Metabolism and Implications of Childhood Supplementation

Atherosclerosis is the underlying cause of major cardiovascular events. The development of atherosclerotic plaques begins early in life, indicating that dietary interventions in childhood might be more effective at preventing cardiovascular disease (CVD) than treating established CVD in adulthood. A...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of molecular sciences 2019-12, Vol.21 (1), p.128
Main Authors: Scolaro, Bianca, Andrade, Leticia F S de, Castro, Inar A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Arteriosclerosis
Atherosclerosis
Cardiovascular disease
Cardiovascular diseases
Cardiovascular Diseases - metabolism
Cardiovascular Diseases - prevention & control
Childhood
Children
Cholesterol
Chronic illnesses
Dietary Supplements
Disease prevention
Esterification
Extracellular matrix
Food products
Heart
Humans
Hypertension
Intervention
Intestinal Absorption
Lipid Metabolism - physiology
Long-term effects
Metabolism
Nutrient deficiency
Nutrition
Obesity
Phytochemicals
Phytosterols - metabolism
Plaques
Review
Sterols
Vegetable oils
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Summary:Atherosclerosis is the underlying cause of major cardiovascular events. The development of atherosclerotic plaques begins early in life, indicating that dietary interventions in childhood might be more effective at preventing cardiovascular disease (CVD) than treating established CVD in adulthood. Although plant sterols are considered safe and consistently effective in lowering plasma cholesterol, the health effects of early-life supplementation are unclear. Studies suggest there is an age-dependent effect on plant sterol metabolism: at a younger age, plant sterol absorption might be increased, while esterification and elimination might be decreased. Worryingly, the introduction of low-cholesterol diets in childhood may unintentionally favor a higher intake of plant sterols. Although CVD prevention should start as early as possible, more studies are needed to better elucidate the long-term effects of plant sterol accumulation and its implication on child development.
ISSN:1422-0067
1661-6596
1422-0067
DOI:10.3390/ijms21010128