Geez, I just registered and came to these forums since I'm so pumped about the '75 Carrera I just bought. But, instead of yakking about that I stumbled onto this thread. So, I guess my very first post will be about cholesterol
Anyhow, my advice is to remember that every single situation is different. Some people can treat high cholesterol through diet and exercise, and some can't. Some people trust their doctors and look to them for helping deal with what can be deadly decisions, and some feel they know better (and I'm not saying that in a critical way).
Regardless, you need to figure out what works for you and stick with it.
My dad died from a massive MI when he was 36 and I was 8. I had my first MI when I was 26 and I had a quad-bypass a few days after that. I'm now almost 56. My cholesterol was 405 and it's now about 160. My HDL started out at around 29 and it's now about 60. I had a second MI when I was 27, and a third one about 16 months ago.
Over the past 3 decades I have been put on just about every single drug available. Now I take Crestor, Zetia, and 6 grams of Niacin a day. I put 100% of my faith in my docs and the drugs.
I am totally convinced that if I did not take the drugs I would have passed away long ago. My 12 YO son has the same hereditary disease my father had and that I have, and he has been on meds since he was 5.
And, in case you're wondering, I look extremely healthy and no one would ever suspect I have health issues. I'm 5' 11"; 174 lbs, 32" waist, and 12.3 % body fat. I am extremely vigilant about watching my diet, with a big focus on portion control and avoidance of unhealthy items.
So, back to my '75 Carrera. I take possession later this week. That bad boy has 42K miles, is numbers matching, and is 100% stock. It's as if it came out of a time capsule. I'm hoping this helps me recover from my foolishness 9 years ago when I sold my '73 911S. That beauty subsequently sold at Amelia Island (2 years ago) and set what was a world record at that time with a selling price of $214k. Yikes.