Dietary plant sterols and stanols as present in our diet and in functional foods are well-known for their inhibitory effects on intestinal cholesterol absorption, which translates into lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations. However, emerging evidence suggests that plant sterols and stanols have numerous additional health effects, which are largely unnoticed in the current scientific literature. Therefore, in this review we pose the intriguing question “What would have occurred if plant sterols and stanols had been discovered and embraced by disciplines such as immunology, hepatology, pulmonology or gastroenterology before being positioned as cholesterol-lowering molecules?” What would then have been the main benefits and fields of application of plant sterols and stanols today? We here discuss potential effects ranging from its presence and function intrauterine and in breast milk towards a potential role in the development of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), cardiovascular disease (CVD), inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) and allergic asthma. Interestingly, effects clearly depend on the route of entrance as observed in intestinal-failure associated liver disease (IFALD) during parenteral nutrition regimens. It is only until recently that effects beyond lowering of cholesterol concentrations are being explored systematically. Thus, there is a clear need to understand the full health effects of plant sterols and stanols.

我们的饮食和功能性食品中存在的饮食中的植物固醇和甾烷醇以其对肠道胆固醇吸收的抑制作用而闻名，这转化为较低的低密度脂蛋白胆固醇浓度。但是，越来越多的证据表明，植物固醇和甾烷醇具有许多其他的健康影响，这在当前的科学文献中基本上没有被注意到。因此，在这篇综述中，我们提出了一个有趣的问题：“如果发现植物固醇和甾烷醇被免疫学，肝病学，肺病或肠胃病，然后才被定位为降低胆固醇的分子？” 那么，今天的植物固醇和甾烷醇的主要优点和应用领域是什么？我们在这里讨论潜在的影响，从其存在和宫内功能以及在母乳中向非酒精性脂肪性肝炎（NASH），心血管疾病（CVD），炎性肠病（IBD）和过敏性哮喘的发展中的潜在作用。有趣的是，效果显然取决于肠外营养治疗期间肠道衰竭相关性肝病（IFALD）中观察到的进入途径。直到最近，才系统地探索了降低胆固醇浓度以外的作用。因此，显然需要了解植物固醇和甾烷醇对健康的全面影响。