Cholesterol Reabsorption: How Your Body Recycles Cholesterol

The liver and intestines synthesize cholesterol each day. This substance is also recycled, with about half being reabsorbed in the intestinal tract and small bowel.

Function

• Cholesterol is necessary to produce hormones, bile acid, and vitamin D, and to absorb fat-soluble vitamins, such as vitamins A and E. Once these tasks have been carried out, some of the cholesterol is transported back to the liver for disposal, while the rest is reabsorbed and re-enters the bloodstream.

Reabsorption Reduction

• Fiber plays a major role in deterring cholesterol reabsorption by bile acid sequestration. This means that plant-based fibers in the gut bind to bile acids, thereby preventing the release of cholesterol into the intestines for reabsorption.

Soluble Fiber

• Soluble fiber has a broom effect in the intestines. Specifically, it helps to prevent cholesterol reabsorption by "sweeping" away low-density lipopoteins (LDL) that cholesterol uses as a vehicle to navigate the bloodstream. LDL is commonly known as the "bad" kind of cholesterol since it promotes arterial blockages.

Plant Sterols

• Plant sterols reduce cholesterol reabsorption by competing with cholesterol molecules in the intestines.

Drug Intervention

• Ezetimibe (Zetia) is a medication that interrupts cholesterol reabsorption by binding to specialized proteins in the cells of the small intestine.