The first challenge is pursuading people to get their cholesterol tested. The second is making sure they get it done by a healthcare professional, whether that is with a GP or a practice nurse, or at an NHS Health Check. Some pharmacies and supermarkets are starting to offer tests, and there are local initiatives, too. Symptoms of high cholesterol show only when you are starting to get heart disease as a result: you build up a lot of fatty plaque in your arteries, start to experience shortness of breath, chest pains or angina. By that point, the condition is irreversible – and the earlier in life you have a heart attack or stroke, the worse your long-term outcomes are. Prevention is absolutely better than cure. Most people can start with lifestyle factors. As a nation, we know we are not as active as we should be, that we are increasingly overweight and that our intake of saturated fats is too high – that leads to our cholesterol levels being too high. For most people, the first st...