Zigrat: Maybe its because he drank wine every day?
Many studies have shown that people with daily alchohol intake (1 or 2 glasses of wine, not enuf to get drunk, but just enuf to get some alchohol into your bloodstream) have significantly reduced cholesterol.
Personally, ony of my relatives, my uncle in law, is so fat he doesnt fit through doors. He's HUGE. And yet he drinks almost a bottle of vodka a day, every day, since he was young. And his "diet" is heavy in meats, fats and all the good stuff.
His cholesterol level is almost ZERO. He may be fat, but he aint dying from a stroke.
Compared to mine, which is almost near the initial danger levels, and im only a few pounds overweight. I dont eat meats (barely once a week), dont eat junk food or sweets , I dont excercise (*shame*)..and I dont drink more than 1 beer every 2 weeks or so in average.
Now im starting to drink a little bit more, and it seems to be helping, my last cholesterol test dropped a few points

Alchohol is good for your health, just take 1 glass of wine, beer or whatever to get a lil' bit of it and it works wonders.