Eli5 How does cholesterol get from your intestine into your arteries and how does ingested fiber help lower the cholesterol in your arteries?
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Most of your cholesterol is produced by your liver. The amount you get from your diet is not significant in most cases.
It goes from your liver to your stomach and then the intestine through the bile (a liquid secreted by the liver to the stomach).
It gets from your intestine to your liver by Chylomicrons also known as Ultra low-density lipoprotein (ULDL).
It gets from your liver to your cells through very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), which becomes intermediate-density lipoprotein afterward (IDL), and then low-density lipoprotein (LDL).
It gets to your arteries from Chylomicrons remnants and low-density lipoprotein (LDL).
It’s cleaned up from your arteries using high-density lipoprotein (HDL) which brings it to your liver.
If you have high HDL, they will clean your arteries and your arteries will get healthier with time.
Cholesterol is reduced by fiber because fiber reduces the absorption of cholesterol by the intestine, so more of the cholesterol produced by the bile is excreted when you poo. Also, some fibers are fermented in short-chain fatty acid by bacteria, and short-chain fatty acids increase the of HDL production by your liver.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK305896/
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