Consumption of cholesterol oxides from fast foods fried in beef fat in New Zealand

Levels of cholesterol oxides were determined in samples of beef dripping used for deep frying in retail fast‐food outlets in Christchurch, New Zealand. The average levels (n = 8) of cholesterol oxides were: β‐epoxy cholesterol (15 mg/kg), α‐epoxy cholesterol, 7β‐hydroxy cholesterol, 7‐keto cholesterol (10 mg/kg each), 7α‐hydroxy cholesterol (5 mg/kg), and cholestane triol, 25‐hydroxy cholesterol (1 mg/kg each). Based on the amount of fat in a typical deep‐fried “fish and chips” meal, the amounts of individual cholesterol oxides consumed would then range from 0.05–0.7 mg. This is three to nine times less than reported in a test meal experiment with humans but could still be expected to cause detectable increases in plasma cholesterol oxide levels.