UncleToad, when I went back for a check after I'd been on the simvastatin for a while, I was sure nothing would have changed, and the levels would still be high. Boy, was I wrong! They weren't just lowER, they were at the low end of normal. I'd been taking garlic tablets too, though. The levels rise a bit when I don't, but stay in the normal range.

Well, my uncle (Mom's bro) had a massive heart attack and died at age 46, before anyone was checking cholesterol levels. My mom had severe atherosclerosis. She also had diabetes which can cause it, but she had high cholesterol too. She was on a strict diet, and it didn't seem to do much anything for the cholesterol.

Nobody's specifically mentioned raising the HDL. You want HDL to go up, and everything else to go down. Look for mono-saturated oils, such as olive oil and canola oil. These are GOOD. I add a bunch of olive oil to spaghetti sauce. I make pasta salads and salad dressings. I make lentil soup (Lentils, stock, onions, celery, garlic, a bit of sausage or hot dogs, spices, and then dump some extra-virgin olive oil in right when you serve it.)

Spaw, you think anybody told Clinton about the DaVinci?