Avoiding Cholesterol -- Especially Fried

Ordinary cholesterol may be bad for your heart, but frying it can be a real bummer, researchers say.

That leads to oxidization of the cholesterol, possibly creating more fatty (atherosclerotic) plaque in the arteries. It's found mostly in fried eggs, butter and animal fat products.

Writing in the journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology, University of California at San Francisco scientists say a study of rabbits fed "oxidized" cholesterol had atherosclerotic plaques twice as large as those eating a regular cholesterol diet.

The oxidized form may damage coronary artery cell linings and lay the groundwork for plaque to form, the researchers say.