National Cholesterol Education Program: Assessing the Science

The National Cholesterol Education Program brings together the wisdom of many individuals and organizations* in the medical community to undertake an assessment of the available scientific evidence related to cholesterol management. The NCEP has developed a methodology to rate the strength of the available evidence and has issued an extensive set of recommendations. The evidence is defined in terms of two categories:

Type of Evidence
A Major randomized controlled clinical trials (RCTs)
B Smaller RCTs and meta-analyses of other clinical trials
C Observational and metabolic studies
D Clinical Experience

Strength of Evidence
1 Very Strong
2 Moderately strong evidence
3 Strong trend

I have posted this blog as a reference for future posts.

*Member organizations of the NCEP include National Heart, Lung & Blood Institute (NIH), American Academy of Family Physicians, American College of Cadiology, American College of Preventive Medicine, American Diabetes Association, American Dietetics Association, American Hospital Association, American Medication Association, American Red Cross, Association of Black Cardiologists, Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Disease Control, American Nurses Association.