For the first time in many decades, the US Department of Health's Dietary Guidelines for Americans has withdrawn its cholesterol cautions. It now states that cholesterol ''is not a nutrient for concern". It also tells us that ''available evidence shows no appreciable relationship between consumption of dietary cholesterol and serum (blood) cholesterol".Well, that's quite a backtrack from its previous position, and a bit of an embarrassment really, considering that this is what the science has shown all along.The turnaround hasn't made many media waves, but it's hugely relevant, because the [apparent] link between cholesterol in our diets and levels in our bloodstream was part and parcel of the incorrect research which further theorised, just as incorrectly, that ''high" cholesterol is the cause of cardiovascular disease.Once this utterly flawed theory took hold, health authorities changed everything they had previously believed and, as you sadly know, demonised all the good stuff.Butter, cream, eggs, fatty meat and a host of other nutritious foods are out to kill us, we were told. So we ate much less of them. But, strangely, nobody lived happily ever after.Indeed, while Americans, for example, have eaten far less saturated fat for the past five decades or so, and millions are taking statin drugs (as good as useless, incidentally), heart disease hasn't lessened.All that's happened is that millions have approached saturated fat with great guilt and worry. Ironic, given that stress is the biggest cause of heart disease. Oh yes, there is another thing that happened: pharmaceutical companies made fortunes.It should make us very cross that we ever turned down a cheese fondue, a hollandaise, or a good fatty meat paté. It should make us madder still that for decades many of us shovelled a toxic and quite revolting substance - margarine - down our gullets in the name of good heart health. If something's bad for you, it should at least taste fantastic!In the name of great good saturated fats (and sorry, deep-fried foods don't count as good), I say celebrate with this most voluptuous of retro cheese starters: place a big wedge or wheel of brie in an oven-proof dish so that it fits tightly, and bake on medium heat just until it oozes - the stage before melted.Serve it quick-quick with butter-sautéed white mushrooms, boiled quail eggs and good sourdough bread to dunk. Drink alcohol with it, because in moderation it lowers cortisol, lessens stress, and is a lot better for your cardiovascular health than any drugs will ever be. The emphasis is on moderation.For more on the cholesterol issue, check out the online video Statin Nation, follow the blog of renowned Scottish doctor Dr Malcolm Kendrick (www.drmalcolmkendrick.org) and Google The Oiling of America(Weston A Price Foundation)...