ABSTRACT
Experimental studies, epidemiological surveys, and clinical trials consistently show dietary cholesterol to have a significant effect on plasma cholesterol levels. Increased plasma cholesterol levels are in turn known to promote atherosclerosis and stimulate its progression. Increasing experimental evidence points to cholesterol oxidation products (oxysterols) as being actually responsible for the proatherogenic action of cholesterol, which per se is rather an unreactive molecule. In particular, specific oxysterols of pathophysiological significance exercise strong proapoptotic and proinflammatory action. The most recent findings on oxysterols’ toxic and proatherosclerotic effects 130are described in this chapter. To ensure a comprehensive approach to their potential contribution to the atherosclerosis process, the occurrence of cholesterol oxidation products in foodstuffs, methods for their identification and measurement, and the use of antioxidants supplementation to prevent their generation in foods are reviewed analytically.
