As a main source of probiotic bacteria,lactic acid bacteria could promote health benefits on the host,such as hypocholesterolemic effect,which was paid more and more attention in recent years.In the past half of century,several strains of genus of lactic acid bacteria,including Lactobacillus,Bifidobacterium,and Enterococcus,were selected for their cholesterol-lowering ability,and confirmed in experimental animals or human volunteers.However,the mechanism of cholesterol-lowering was still not clear to lactic acid bacteria.The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive overview on the possible mechanisms of cholesterol-lowering effects of lactic acid bacteria,and to describe its future prospects of current problem.It's also a reference of lactic acid bacteria for further research and development.