What supplements lower cholesterol? My blood test worried me a little bit and I could use some advice

I was venting about my doctor shutting me down when I asked about supplements the other day and I actually sat down and looked at my blood test results more carefully.

Turns out my cholesterol is high.

I'm not going to lie, I'm worried. My stepfather is dealing with heart problems right now and they changed his whole diet. The man looks like a completely different person, he's lost so much weight. and I don't want that to be me in a few years.

I live in Puerto Rico and if you know our food... we fry pretty much everything (tostones, alcapurrias, mofongo.) I mean, that's just how I grew up eating. I know I need to change but I'm not going to flip my entire lifestyle overnight, that's not realistic.

I've been researching what supplements lower cholesterol, as well as what supplements lower blood pressure (I read high cholesterol narrows vessels, forces heart to pump harder, hence increases blood pressure?). Fish oil, berberine, red yeast rice, citrus bergamot keep coming up. But after what you guys said about regulation and third-party testing, I'm being more careful about what I trust.

Has anyone here actually improved their numbers with supplements? Or is it really just diet and exercise and I need to stop looking for shortcuts?

Not trying to replace my doctor's advice, just wondering if supplements can help while I figure out how to eat better without giving up everything I love.