Found out I have very high cholesterol

[SpanishFly]

I did one of these private postal blood tests, and the results came back that I have very high cholesterol plus high(ish) ALT levels.
Cholesterol is 7.6
Ratio is 6.5:1
Alt is 59. All other liver results are in the green.

The slightly worrying thing is that it's been highish for a while, and I have been taking a daily cholesterol lowering drink, yet it's now off the scale 😕

Any advice/info/words of support?

I will phone the GP today, but I'm not sure how easy that will be, since I'm working and the GP is not currently easy to get hold of.

We were told that it’s not so much what you don’t eat but what you should eat - so porridge, bran, apples (skin), plant sterols... is much more beneficial than cutting out butter. Some people just naturally create too much cholesterol naturally, so also need to exercise and concentrate on de-stressing.

@allypally999 it's the stabilising of calcified atheroma within blood vessels that statins also help with - so preventing bits breaking off and causing MIs abd strokes. Fwiw some are cheaper than others and have more side effects, atorvastatin is worth pennies compared to some of the newer ones. Some gps automatically prescribe the cheap ones.

One thing to be aware of is, I have heard, that if you are on statins it can make it hard to get travel insurance.

DH changed his with diet alone, no drugs, no lowering drinks or yoghurts. We just cut down on dairy, change to oat milk and cut down on biscuits etc.

I'll bear that in mind @Katharinablum thanks. It was indeed that one I was given a few years back. Might try again some time. On the plus side apparently I have a lot of the good one too!

@notapizzaeater thats interesting re the gallbladder. I had mine out 6 years ago. And I'm overweight. And I'm menopausal. So it looks like I tick a lot of bad boxes 😡

I have had high cholesterol since I was first checked at 7 (my dad has very high cholesterol so he got me and my sister checked as kids). I have the familial kind which means it’s inherited.
I think the last time my levels were checked they were 6.8 and my GP wasn’t bothered. She said to come back when I’m 40 and if they are over 7 then she’ll consider statins then but she said a lot of doctors now don’t think levels under 8 are much of an issue (it used to be levels under 6).
I eat quite healthily about 80% and don’t smoke or drink and I walk everywhere as don’t have a car. I’m probably a couple of stone overweight so I’m trying to lose that.
My dad’s once got up to 13.8 and the doctor said he was a walking heart attack. His is now down to 3 on statins. He has no side effects with them other than a bit of joint pain sometimes

I think what this is saying is "Up to 10%" lowering effect from Benecol, so that doesn't tell you the average reduction, only the very best scenario. Maybe 5% of people don't even get a 1% reduction.