Lester
The Science
Evidence-first cholesterol support.
Lester is built around plant sterols — among the most studied ingredients in nutrition for supporting healthy cholesterol. This page lays out how they work, the dose we chose and why, and the research behind it. No miracle claims; just the evidence.*
Diet and exercise are only part of the story
Your body absorbs cholesterol at every meal. That's exactly where plant sterols act — in the digestive tract, alongside food — which is why Lester is taken twice daily with meals.*
How plant sterols work
- Taken with food, plant sterols enter the digestive tract with your meal.
- Because they're structurally similar to cholesterol, they compete with it for absorption.
- Taken consistently, they help support healthy cholesterol levels over time.*
The evidence
Plant sterols & cholesterol
| What it shows | Study | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Across 0.6–3.3 g/day, plant sterols supported healthy LDL cholesterol in a clear dose-response; effect builds toward ~3 g/day. Lester's 2.6 g sits in the strong part of that curve. | Meta-analysis of 124 randomized trials | Ras et al., British Journal of Nutrition, 2014 · doi.org/10.1017/S0007114514000750 |
| A mean of ~2.15 g/day was associated with meaningfully healthier LDL levels; higher starting levels saw larger changes. | Meta-analysis of 84 randomized trials | Demonty et al., Journal of Nutrition, 2009 · doi.org/10.3945/jn.108.095125 |
| ~2 g/day supported healthy cholesterol; an expert panel also concluded plant sterols don't deplete vitamins A, D, or E. | Expert consensus review | Katan et al., Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 2003 · doi.org/10.4065/78.8.965 |
| Reviewing the evidence base, intake is most effective taken with a main meal, twice daily — the exact way Lester is designed to be used. | Scientific review | Trautwein et al., Nutrients, 2018 · doi.org/10.3390/nu10091262 |
Recognized by regulators
| What it shows | Source |
|---|---|
| The U.S. FDA has an authorized health claim for plant sterol esters and heart health, taken in two servings a day with meals. | U.S. FDA — 21 CFR 101.83 · ecfr.gov |
| Europe's food-safety authority identified 2.6–3.4 g/day as the intake associated with the strongest effect on LDL, typically within 2–3 weeks. Lester's 2.6 g sits right at the start of that band. | EFSA Scientific Opinion, 2012 · doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2012.2693 |
Supporting actives
| What it shows | Source |
|---|---|
| Olive polyphenols were shown to help protect blood lipids (LDL) from oxidative damage in a large multi-country trial. Europe recognizes this at 5 mg/day of hydroxytyrosol — the level Lester provides. | Covas et al. (EUROLIVE), Annals of Internal Medicine, 2006 · doi.org/10.7326/... |
| CoQ10 has been studied in cardiovascular health and cellular energy. (CoQ10 does not lower cholesterol; we include it for cellular-energy and heart support.) | Mortensen et al. (Q-SYMBIO), JACC: Heart Failure, 2014 · doi.org/10.1016/j.jchf.2014.06.008 |
Why 2.6 g per day, with meals
We chose 2.6 g of plant sterol esters per day — double the FDA's per-serving threshold and at the start of EFSA's optimal 2.6–3.4 g band — split into two servings taken with meals, because that's how plant sterols are shown to work best. We deliberately don't chase a bigger number at the expense of taste and texture: a gummy you enjoy and take every day matters more than a slightly larger figure on the label.*
Tested and verified
Every batch is made in a cGMP facility and third-party tested for active levels, heavy metals, and microbials. See our Quality & Testing page for details.
What we can say — and what we won't overclaim
We built Lester to be honest. Plant sterols are clinically studied to support healthy cholesterol, and that's how we talk about them. We don't use phrases like "clinically proven" or claim Lester treats or cures any disease, and we frame each ingredient by what the evidence actually supports. If a claim isn't backed, we don't make it.
References
- Ras RT, et al. LDL-cholesterol-lowering effect of plant sterols and stanols across different dose ranges. Br J Nutr. 2014. doi:10.1017/S0007114514000750
- Demonty I, et al. Continuous dose-response relationship of the LDL-cholesterol-lowering effect of phytosterol intake. J Nutr. 2009. doi:10.3945/jn.108.095125
- Katan MB, et al. Efficacy and safety of plant stanols and sterols. Mayo Clin Proc. 2003. doi:10.4065/78.8.965
- Trautwein EA, et al. LDL-cholesterol lowering of plant sterols and stanols — which factors influence their efficacy? Nutrients. 2018. doi:10.3390/nu10091262
- U.S. FDA. Health claims: plant sterol/stanol esters and risk of coronary heart disease. 21 CFR 101.83.
- EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies. Scientific Opinion on plant stanols and plant sterols and blood LDL cholesterol. EFSA Journal. 2012. doi:10.2903/j.efsa.2012.2693
- Covas MI, et al. The effect of polyphenols in olive oil on heart disease risk factors (EUROLIVE). Ann Intern Med. 2006. doi:10.7326/0003-4819-145-5-200609050-00006
- Mortensen SA, et al. The effect of coenzyme Q10 on morbidity and mortality in chronic heart failure (Q-SYMBIO). JACC Heart Fail. 2014. doi:10.1016/j.jchf.2014.06.008
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.