Just have a few questions about the cause of heart disease and oxidation of fats. I am looking for some studies that relate to the questions if possible.
1. Does saturated fat cause atherosclerosis or is it the oxidized cholesterol that usually accompanies it (as in most cooked animal products), or a combination? I'm assuming 'oxidized' saturated fats are less problematic due to their resilience to oxidation, but this is dependent on the following question:
2. What temperatures are needed to cause oxidation of cholesterol and saturated fat at a significant rate in various foods? Are there any graphs available that plot the oxysterol/satfat concentration/time as a function of temperature or something like this?
3. Are other oxidized fats such as monounsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids as bad or worse than oxidized saturated fats and cholesterol?
What I am getting at with the first two questions is whether foods high in saturated fat are always bad, or if it is just when they are cooked at high temperatures as they usually are nowdays, which usually causes cholesterol and possibly satfat oxidation?
