Your body makes about two-thirds of the cholesterol it needs. The remainder comes from the cholesterol and saturated fats in the foods you eat. Dietary cholesterol is found only in meat, fish, poultry and animal products including eggs and dairy products. Some of these foods are also high in saturated fat. Foods from plants, such as fruit, vegetables, grains, nuts and seeds don't contain cholesterol and are usually low in saturated fat.
Cholesterol travels to the body's cells through the bloodstream.
But cholesterol and other fats can't dissolve in the blood. They must travel to and from the cells by special carriers called lipoproteins . LDL is the major cholesterol carrier in the blood. The liver uses some of it, and some is used by tissues to form cell membranes. If there is too much LDL in the blood, it can slowly build up in the walls of the arteries feeding the heart and brain.