I think the OP is referring to the fact it's much easier to focus and improve on specific items than it is to follow some nebulous generic advice. "Lose weight" is much less effective than "Exercise 30 minutes per day and eat 2200 calories per day".

What seems to be likely regarding cholesterol in general is that it has been greatly over focused on to the detriment of more likely culprits like sugar and refined foods. Of course, the cynic might say you can't take a pill made by Pfizer to lower your sugar and refined foods like you can to lower your cholesterol.