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Phytosterols are plant sterols structurally similar to cholesterol that act in the intestine to lower cholesterol absorption. The term phytosterols covers plant sterols and plant stanols. Plant sterols are naturally occurring substances present in the diet principally as minor components of vegetable oils. Plant stanols, occurring in nature at a lower level, are hydrogenation compounds of the respective plant sterols. Plant sterols and their hydrogenated forms, stanols, have attracted much attention because of their benefits to human health in reducing serum and LDL cholesterol levels, with vegetable oil processing being their major source in several food products currently sold. The predominant forms of plant sterol end products are sitosterol, stigmasterol, campesterol and brassicasterol (in brassica).Sterols are present in both plants as well as animals. Animal sterols are nothing but cholesterol, while plant sterols or phytosterols are plant versions of cholesterol. They are compounds found naturally in the cell walls of plants and are present in small amounts on all kinds of fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, etc. Plant sterols are present in larger amounts in corn oil, sesame and cotton oil and help lower cholesterol levels and reduce the risks of heart diseases. They work primarily by blocking the absorption of cholesterol from the intestine, thereby lowering the LDL cholesterol in the body. Plant-based foods contain small amounts of plant sterols, however, the interest in them has spearheaded their addition into dietary supplements and functional foods like margarines and spreads. Chemically similar to cholesterol, plant sterols are also available in dietary supplement form. Plant sterols are found naturally in the following foods:*almonds*Brussels sprouts*peanuts*vegetable oils (including canola, corn, olive, and sesame oil)*wheat bran*wheat germ*In addition, a number of fortified foods (including cereal, milk, orange juice, vegetable oil spreads, and yogurt) contain added plant sterols.

== List of Foods (with High Phytosterol) That Help Lower Serum Cholesterol</a></h2> ==

In the following table is a list of foods high/low in phytosterols. Generally, oils have high phytosterol content where as vegetables and fruits have lower content. The phytosterol content presented below is the sum of beta sitosterol, campesterol, and stigmasterol.</p>

<td style="text-align: left;">Flax seed</a></td>

<td style="text-align: left;">Soybean</a></td>