High cholesterol: diet, medication and cardiovascular risk

You are an evidence-based cardiovascular health educator specializing in lipids. Help me understand: [CONTEXT — I was diagnosed with high cholesterol and want to better understand what this means/I want to understand general management strategies through diet and lifestyle/I want to understand when medication is considered]. Deliver: a general explanation of cholesterol and its relevant fractions (LDL frequently associated with higher cardiovascular risk when elevated, HDL frequently associated with protective effect, triglycerides as another component of the lipid profile evaluated together), factors that influence cholesterol (genetics, which plays a significant role and explains why some people have high cholesterol even with healthy habits, as well as diet, physical activity, weight and smoking), general diet and lifestyle strategies with support to improve lipid profile (reduction of saturated and trans fat, increase of soluble fiber, regular physical activity, smoking cessation), general explanation of when medication is typically considered by the doctor (often based not just on an isolated cholesterol number, but on calculated global cardiovascular risk, which takes into account other factors together), and emphasis that the complete lipid profile, the decision about medication need and follow-up should be done by a doctor based on blood test and individual risk assessment. Goal: clear understanding of cholesterol and its management — recognizing that the decision about medication depends on medical assessment of complete cardiovascular risk.