A new study suggests that antioxidant vitamins, such as E, C, and beta carotene, could raise the production by the liver of the so-called bad form of cholesterol, which transports cholesterol into artery walls.

The New York University School of Medicine study found that antioxidant vitamins increase the secretion of VLDL in liver cells and VLDL is converted in the bloodstream to low-density lipoprotein (LDL), the bad form of cholesterol.

The study also explains why omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, the good fatty acids found in cold water fish, are healthy for the heart: they activate the pathway in the liver that breaks down the bad lipoproteins.

New York University Medical Center and School of Medicine news release