Results of this study show that even though raw phytosterols and their microencapsulated form (LIPOPHYTOL®) reduce the cholesterol in a similar extent, LIPOPHYTOL® is more effective decreasing the hypertriglyceridemia and against atherogenesis under a high fat diet, demonstrating microencapsulation technology might enhance the activity of phytosterols. Despite with the current data we cannot suggest a mechanism to explain these observations, extrapolation of our results to humans might suggest that LIPOPHYTOL® is a more suitable additive to be consumed by the general population.
