Men, women and children are being prescribed statin drugs to lower cholesterol.  90% of the men and all women and children are needlessly and baselessly prescribed statin drugs.  In fact, you are at a greater risk of getting heart disease or a stroke by being a male between the age of 40 and 59 than you are by having high cholesterol.  Being a male in this age bracket, smoking, and/or with high blood pressure, is a much greater risk of heart disease than high cholesterol.  Having high cholesterol is an extremely small risk factor for heart disease and strokes.  For every 100 persons prescribed Lipitor, it may benefit 1 person.  Prescribing Crestor to 120 persons may benefit 1 person.  Why are statin drugs prescribed?  Mostly because of the financial profits for drug companies.  They are now the financial backbone for many drug companies.  Drug companies promote statin drugs aggressively without any scientific basis of their benefits.  This is the main reason this high cholesterol myth is perpetuated, and the main reason why the cholesterol hypothesis continues to be broadcast loudly and frequently even though most of the evidence does not support prescribing statin drugs for lowering cholesterol.