The cholesterol transit system
Oil doesn't mix with water, so it shouldn't be a surprise that oily cholesterol doesn't mix with blood, which is basically salty water. The body solves this problem by producing waterproof cholesterol transporters called lipoproteins. In addition to cholesterol, lipoproteins also ferry arround dietary fat (known in scientific circles as triglyceride, or triacylglycerol) and the fat - soluble vitamins E, D, A, and K. If you were to assemble a lipoprotein, you would need four building blocks: protein, cholesterol, triglycerides, and phospholipids (another type of waxy fat - like material found in high concentration in cell membranes). The amount of each substance varies depending on the class of lipoprotein.
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