With all due respect to got caught, my view is that the evil fats are the trans fats/ hydrogenated oils. These are liquid at room temperature, but have been shown to increase LDL with no corresponding increase in HDL.
Natural fats that are solid at room temperature (lard, to take an extreme example) will increase LDL, but also increase HDL. Most liquid vegetable oils that are not hydrogenated are a net plus, giving a solid boost to HDL.
The science in all of this is not settled, and those with tendency toward conspiracy theories might note that there is a lot of money being made in the manufacture and use of trans fats. But the increase in heart disease in the last century corresponds to the introduction of these modified fats into our diets. Of course a lot of other things changed in the last century, but an interesting study just published in the United States found that nurses who regularly used butter had a significantly lower risk of heart disease than those using margarine. And no, that last sentence is not backwards.
There is also a lot of money being made off of statins, and I am taking one myself. But skepticism of this fad with regard to otherwise healthy people is probably in order.
As a disclaimer, I am not in any way a medical type. My interest in this comes from a family history of heart disease and a high’ish cholesterol level. Your best bet is to start researching this matter directly, avoiding both the health food nuts and the non-specialist doctors who are not current in the field.
I suspect that got caught nailed it with regard to not smoking, exercise and good BP control. So enjoy your good HDL.