*2.3. Data Analysis*

Total phytosterol intake, including β-sitosterol, campesterol, and stigmasterol, was calculated by multiplying the daily consumption of individual food items by the respective phytosterol contents in these products. Additionally, the contribution of individual groups of food products and their ingredients to the consumption of different phytosterols was studied. Descriptive statistics were applied to describe the continuous variables (means and standard deviations, as well as median and interquartile range), and the percentages of the respective values were used for categorized variables. The contributions of food categories and individual food items to the intake of particular total and individual phytosterols are presented as percentages. To investigate the differences between men and women, a non-parametric Wilcoxon test or Chi-square test was used, respectively, for quantitative and qualitative variables. The level of significance was considered *p* < 0.05. Data analyses were processed using Statistical Analysis System (SAS; version 9.4, SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, USA).
