Plasma Cholesterol Oxidation Products (Oxysterols) in Human Subjects Fed a Meal Rich in Oxysterols

There is no evidence whether humans absorb cholesterol oxidation products (COPS) from food sources. Therefore, (after‐meal) absorption of COPS in humans was studied following consumption of a powdered egg meal containing 30–90 ppm each of four different COPS. Both total plasma and plasma chylomicron COPS concentrations increased. By contrast, subjects consuming fresh eggs containing very low levels of the same four COPS (0–2 ppm) demonstrated no significant rise in plasma COPS. We concluded that the human subjects studied had the capacity to absorb COPS from food sources. The brief residence time of COPS observed in both chylomicrons and plasma suggested rapid transfer of COPS among lipoprotein fractions and/or clearance from plasma.