how responsive are cholesterol values?

ie how quickly do they change and can a cheese cake binge dramatically effect your reading the next day?

mine appears to be a number of galatic proportions, its doubled in the last 2 years. I thought my diet was pretty good so I’m kinda hoping birthday cakes over the last couple of days have been my downfall.

I asked the doctor this exact question (pies not cakes though).

The answer was that it takes a few months and a sudden binge won’t really affect the test.

Got my number going down by using Benecol spread and having a half-sensible diet, FWIW.

My GP made me take a ‘fasting’ test (don’t eat for 12 hours before) so there must be some connection between recent food intake and the reading?

Recent diet should have no effect on cholesterol levels. Long term diet obviously will.
Fasting blood tests are usually requested to measure triglyceride levels which is another component of the lipid profile.
If you have ever seen a spun blood sample that looks like vanilla milkshake (as I often have)you will understand why a fasted blood sample is needed.

Have a look at some of the stuff by Prof. Tim Noakes on you tube or his research papers for some interesting stuff on statins and Cholesterol/diet.

if you have any shares in almond croissant production I’d sell them now