Cholesterol in Fried Foods Worse for Arteries

Eat it raw.

"Cholesterol that is oxidized in foods by frying or other high-heat cooking methods may be substantially worse for the arteries, according to results of an animal study...

When fatty foods are heated, the cholesterol reacts with oxygen to form a variety of "cholesterol oxidation products" or oxycholesterols. The researchers estimated that up to 10% of total cholesterol in the average person's diet is oxidized.

'Putting it in practical terms, you have to avoid eating these fried foods containing oxidized cholesterol,' Chen recommended...

Oxidized cholesterol particles are known to adhere more easily to blood vessel walls, disrupt nitric oxide release, and move more quickly outside the vessel lining where they attract white blood cells, she said.

Oxidization of lipids happens naturally in the body as well, but 'what this study adds is that you can eat them already oxidized,' she said."

Look soon for laws requiring restaurants to list on their menus whether the foods they serve are cooked.