What’s Oxidized Cholesterol?
Remember all those studies that came out that said cholesterol was bad for you? According to Ray Peat, PhD:
Around 1971, someone noticed that the commercial cholesterol used in feeding experiments was oxidized, that is, it wasn’t really cholesterol. Comparing carefully prepared, unoxidized cholesterol with the oxidized degraded material, it was found that pure dietary cholesterol was relatively non-atherogenic. (Source: Ray Peat’s Newsletter September 2005)
What does this mean? Bruce Fife, N.D., explains:
The cholesterol in fresh milk, eggs and meat is not oxidized and is utilized by the body to strengthen cell membranes, synthesize vital hormones, and build brain and nerve tissue. The drying process in making powdered milk, cheese, and eggs fully oxidizes the cholesterol in these products. Once oxidized it can not be utilized in the normal fashion to build and strengthen body tissues, but is packed away into the plaque of injured arteries. Eating such foods will surely clog your arteries faster than any other substance known on the face of the earth. (Source: Saturated Fat May Save Your Life
Sally Fallon Morell elaborates:
A note on the production of skim milk powder: liquid milk is forced through a tiny hole at high pressure, and then blown out into the air. This causes a lot of nitrates to form and the cholesterol in the milk is oxidized. Those of you who are familiar with my work know that cholesterol is your best friend; you don’t have to worry about natural cholesterol in your food; however, you do not want to eat oxidized cholesterol. Oxidized cholesterol contributes to the buildup of plaque in the arteries, to atherosclerosis. So when you drink reduced-fat milk thinking that it will help you avoid heart disease, you are actually consuming oxidized cholesterol, which initiates the process of heart disease. (Source: Dirty Secrets of the Food Processing Industry)