I have to agree with Sooz - it all depends on your genetic disposition. I eat a very low-fat diet and I avoid animal fats, dairy products etc. to a great degree. In my case my cholesterol is very low - overal level was 2.2 at my last check. I guess I'm one of the lucky ones who can control it by diet, however I have friends and family whose diets are very healthy and low-fat, but they are unable to lower their cholesterol to what is considered to be a satisfactory level.

I think the first step in cholesterol control has to be dietary, if that proves not to work (like in Sooz's case) then maybe Statins are the way to go. At the moment they're unnecessary for me.