Research · PMID 28444290 · Landmark study
Reviewed by Neal Rouzier, MD, Preventive Medicine · Sep 2026
Low-density lipoproteins cause atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. 1. Evidence from genetic, epidemiologic, and clinical studies. A consensus statement from the European Atherosclerosis Society Consensus Panel.
European heart journal · August 2017 · Brian A Ference, Henry N Ginsberg, Ian Graham, Kausik K Ray, Chris J Packard, et al.
What this study found
AIMS: To appraise the clinical and genetic evidence that low-density lipoproteins (LDLs) cause atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). METHODS AND RESULTS: We assessed whether the association between LDL and ASCVD fulfils the criteria for causality by evaluating the totality of evidence from genetic studies, prospective epidemiologic cohort studies, Mendelian randomization studies, and randomized trials of LDL-lowering therapies.
Why this trial matters
LDL causal consensus
How RAGMD uses this study
Clinical questions this paper informs
Synthesis lives on the evidence question — this page shows where the study sits in that analysis.
Supporting literature
Is ApoB more useful than LDL-C for cardiovascular risk prediction?
Prospective cohorts and meta-analyses suggest ApoB may capture atherogenic particle burden better than LDL-C alone, particularly when triglycerides are elevated or LDL particles are discordant with LDL-C.
Open evidence analysis