High levels of cholesterol in blood are responsible for cardiovascular diseases, the major cause of health impairment and death in western countries. This excess is the result of high intake of cholesterol due to in non-equilibrated diets and/or anomalous endogenous production at the liver.  The most common used strategy to control cholesterol levels in blood is the reduction of its endogenous production by the action of statins. However, despite the lower hepatic synthesis in such conditions, there is evidence that the cardiovascular disease risk does not decrease due to a absorption of cholesterol at the intestinal lumen.
Another strategy, is the use of food products enriched (functional food) with bioactive compounds to reduce cholesterol absorption at the intestine, acting both in the cholesterol supplied by the diet and the endogenous cholesterol excreted into the intestine. Several chemical compounds present in human diet have been attributed with hypocholesterolemic properties, namely aqueous soluble polysaccharides (e.g. pectin), phytosterols (and their esters) and polyunsaturated fatty acids. The mechanisms of action are not completely known and their efficiency has been questioned due to: a)  lower prophylactic effectiveness than mentioned or desirable, b) their effect on the absorption of carotenoids and drugs, and c) the critical  dependence on the intake time[4, and c) the critical  dependence on the intake time [4], d)  the enrichment on exogenous additives not always valued by consumers. 
In this project we will address rules and principles to optimize hydrophilic functional food (using coffee as an applied example) to reduce cholesterol absorption (FightSterol); overcoming the drawbacks of current functional food by gathering the following features: i) be effective in reducing cholesterol solubilisation at intestinal lumen (interpreting the mechanisms and synergies between nutraceuticals); ii) be consumed after the major meals of the day when more cholesterol is provided from the diet (maximizing its effect); iii) take benefit of the intrinsic potential of its nutrient richness (establishing modulation of nutrient profile towards the highest cholesterol reducing character without enrichment); iv) reducing cholesterol permeation through an intestinal epithelium cell line model; v)  maintain the organoleptic characteristics of the final product to guarantee consumers acceptance.
The team partners joined in this project are experts in extraction, purification and characterization of bioactive compounds from food matrices (UA), cholesterol homeostasis (UC) and in bioacessibility/ bioavailability studies (ETHZ -  Laura Nystrom).
This project will be done with support of a Coffee Roaster Company - FEB (Coimbra). This company manifested its interest in exploring the scientific substantiation for the development of a hypocholesterolemic functional coffee prototype, due to its high health and economic impact.