I think you are throwing out the babe with the bath water. The association
with risk factors involving lipids has been established.
People with a certain lipid profile on testing have an increased risk for
heart disease. For the sake of argument let's say 80-90% of those with heart
disease will have markers of independent risk factors. Not every person with
that same lipid profile develop disease and let's say only 50% of that group
will develop heart disease. This makes lipids a not so good positive
predictor of disease but a  good negative predictor. You do this for each
analyte being total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, and triglyceride. When you
combine all the other independent risk factors such as hypertension, family
history and other markers such CRP, homocyteine and apolipoprotein analysis
then you really get a more accurate and complete assessment.
Just because lipids are not the primary cause of heart disease it doesn't
mean they have no role. Their pathophysiology involves a lesion on the
artery wall induced by who knows what and involves inflammation and host
tissue repair incorporating lipids resulting in rich fatty lipid deposits
causing a reduction in lumen size. They are trying to decrease of stop the
lipid deposition by decreasing the lipid building blocks with the use of
drugs.
Drugs to manipulate or decrease immune response will also be undertaken.
Antibiotics used in eradicating certain bacteria aimed at stopping the
initial event lesion have also been undertaken. The search for the specific
gene or genes in these people making them vulnerable to these insults and or
altered immune response is also being undertaken.
Research will be proven wrong with outcome studies intended to treat these
things so change is expected. It is a waste of money and not useful to treat
everybody with a high cholesterol but only studies and more specific markers
will lead the way. It is a valid criticism of the health care industry as to
why they chose that unprecedented program. Cholesterol testing is the only
test to my knowledge that has national standards for testing.
The bigger question is should nutritional alteration imitate drug
manipulation. It has always done so. Don't eat eggs because of the high
cholesterol content will raise your blood cholesterol, all the way down the
road. It is thus a valid criticism about nutritional advise and products
also and not just drug companies.

Salut

This is a controversial topic. Many take statins and virtually all are
counselled to lower cholesterol. Cholesterol makes up the myelin
sheath of the nerves and cholesterol is needed by the brain. How much
cholesterol lowering is safe, by any means, drug or diet?

Statins also cause a depletion of coenzyme Q10. This depletion causes
mitochondrial damage.

Statins can cause cognitive side effects: irritability, aggression,
memory loss, aphasia, learning difficulties, and transient global
amnesia. Read the link on Duane Graveline MD, former US astronaut who
writes about his experience with short term memory loss and transient
global amnesia in Lipitor: Thief of Memory.

Some different thinking on the statin issue.

The Cholesterol Myths
http://www.ravnskov.nu/cholesterol.htm
Also do a search on his name on sci.med.cardiology.

www.pubmed.org
Biofactors. 2003;18(1-4):101-11
The clinical use of HMG CoA-reductase inhibitors and the associated
depletion of coenzyme Q10. A review of animal and human publications.
Langsjoen PH, Langsjoen AM.
East Texas Medical Center and Trinity Mother Francis Health System
Tyler, TX 75701, USA.
langsjoen@compuserve.com
Also do a search on Langsjoen on sci.med.cardiology.

http://www.redflagsweekly.com/kendrick.html
Malcom Kendrick MD, columnist, with many columns on cholesterol and
statins.
Also do a search on his name on sci.med.cardiology.

Statins and transient global amnesia
Lipitor: Thief of Memory
http://www.spacedoc.net/

If all statins act similarly and all deplete coenzyme Q10, all will
have dangerous side effects to a greater or lesser degree, depending
on dosage, length of use and each person's original health.

For those taking statins for heart health, there is an even more
ridiculous irony: statins *cause* cardiomyopathy.

Zee