How does glucomannan's mechanism of binding bile acids potentially lower LDL cholesterol?
Answer
Bound bile acids are excreted, forcing the liver to pull more circulating cholesterol from the bloodstream to replenish them.
In the small intestine, the viscous glucomannan gel has the capacity to bind to bile acids—compounds derived from cholesterol necessary for fat digestion. When these bound bile acids are excreted rather than being reabsorbed back into the body, the liver must synthesize replacements. To achieve this replenishment, the liver actively pulls more cholesterol from the circulating bloodstream, which results in a favorable reduction of LDL, often termed 'bad' cholesterol.
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