There's a group of drugs called statins that lower high blood cholesterol. They are given to millions of people across the world, but are they strictly necessary? Or are they simply making millions of dollars in profit for the manufacturers? The truth may lie somewhere between these two.

In any event, there are ways of lowering cholesterol without needing to resort to the statins. Here's a short list of what you could try:

Psyllium or Metamucil is a soluble plant fibre and laxative that prevents cholesterol from your diet getting into the blood. It can lower cholesterol by as much as 15%.

Oats, oat bran, apples, grapes and citrus fruits all have soluble fibre as well and will help lower cholesterol.

Niacin or vitamin B3 has the combined effect of lowering total cholesterol and triglycerides while increasing HDL or good cholesterol. But, you need to take it in pretty large doses for this to happen. And, high-dose niacin causes side effects such as flushing and itching amongst a list of others.

Guggulipid is made from an Indian tree and dates back thousands of years. Test results are variable, but some studies show it does lower cholesterol. However, it causes side effects in some people and may interact with some prescription medicines.

Policosanol has come to the fore in the media for its cholesterol lowering actions. It comes from cane sugar, yams or beeswax and is a mixture of alcohols that stop cholesterol being made in your liver. It could lower cholesterol by 25%.

Red Yeast Rice extract has become notorious recently. Although it has been used for centuries in China, some countries are considering banning it. This is a strange reaction since it is the basis of the statin drug group. It's a natural form of lovastatin and works the same way to slow down production of cholesterol. Perhaps the drug companies feel threatened?

Curcumin, extracted from turmeric; garlic; omega-3 fatty acids from oily fish, and fenugreek, a spice, all help lower cholesterol if you incorporate them into your diet.

Sterols and stanols extracted from plants, added to drinks, yoghurts, spreads and other foods, stop cholesterol from being absorbed into your blood, and may lower cholesterol by 10% or more.

I hope you understand that taking powerful drugs like the statins with their potentially serious side effects is not the only way to lower high cholesterol.