Ok, I ate oatmeal and all sorts of healthful foods my whole life. I had high cholesterol. I skimmed off extra fat. Walked, danced for health. I tried to get a statin, MEDICARE DENIED ME THE PRESCRIPTION. Time went on. I did follow-ups. Did no good. Then Oct 2017, I took myself to emergency room with severe chest pain that would not stop. 13 hours of it. Then I started throwing up. Nothing left in the stomach, still retching. Hospital did not know what was going on. FINALLY, I went into full blown heart attack, while in hospital! Very painful, still throwing up. NURSES said to be calm. Then, they found someone who would do a surgery on me. They put a 'wire' into my wrist to my heart with a stent, to unplug a vein, 90% blocked. Maybe my denied statin, would have unplugged that vein? I don't know. I was at 333, now with statin I am 148. Less cholesterol to block veins? I DON'T KNOW.
The way I see it, our veins are like plumbing in the house. After years of water, soot, minerals, blocking pipe, the plumber has to be called to clean out the pipes. No amount of being careful with our plumbing, will stop the corrosive elements from sticking to the plumbing. Same with the veins. So, it is about years of blood flowing through veins and getting 'dirty'. Genetically predisposed to having vein issues. Now alcoholic's, may die of cirrhosis of the liver, but they have low cholesterol! Alcohol, damages the liver, stops some cholesterol making. All about the liver.