NLA Recommendations & Statements

The National Lipid Association (NLA) today announced the release of a major new clinical guidance document titled “LDL Cholesterol Management Simplified in Adults – Lower for Longer is Better: Guidance from the National Lipid Association,” now available open access in the Journal of Clinical Lipidology. This expert consensus underscores a vital message for clinicians and patients alike: lowering LDL-C early, intensively, and sustainably is critical to reducing the risk of cardiovascular events.

 

Publish Date:
June 19, 2025 - 2:45pm
Last Updated: Sep, 2025

This Expert Clinical Review highlights the importance of a collaborative approach to the management of dyslipidemia and other cardiometabolic risk factors, including improved diagnosis and treatment, enhanced access to facilitation of lifestyle interventions, the optimization of pharmacotherapy, and patient education and empowerment.

Publish Date:
May 28, 2025 - 2:15pm
Last Updated: Jun, 2025

The National Lipid Association (NLA) has released a comprehensive clinical review titled “Familial Chylomicronemia Syndrome: An Expert Clinical Review from the National Lipid Association.” This new guidance provides an in-depth examination of the diagnosis, management, and treatment landscape for familial chylomicronemia syndrome (FCS) — a rare and severe genetic disorder characterized by extremely high triglyceride levels (≥ 1,000 mg/dL) and an elevated risk of life-threatening recurrent acute pancreatitis.

Publish Date:
April 15, 2025 - 2:45pm
Last Updated: May, 2025

The risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease increases with advancing age. Elevated LDL-cholesterol and non-HDL-cholesterol levels remain predictive of incident atherosclerotic cardiovascular events among individuals older than 75 years. Risk prediction among older individuals is less certain because most current risk calculators lack specificity in those older than 75 years and do not adjust for co-morbidities, functional status, frailty, and cognition which significantly impact prognosis in this age group.

Publish Date:
April 10, 2025 - 11:45am
Last Updated: Jun, 2025

Extreme hypertriglyceridemia, defined as triglyceride (TG) levels ≥1000 mg/dL, is almost always indicative of chylomicronemia. The current diagnostic approach categorizes individuals with chylomicronemia into familial chylomicronemia syndrome (FCS; prevalence 1–10 per million), caused by the biallelic combination of pathogenic variants that impair the lipolytic action of lipoprotein lipase (LPL), or multifactorial chylomicronemia syndrome (MCS, 1 in 500). A pragmatic framework should emphasize the severity of the phenotype and the risk of complications.

Publish Date:
March 28, 2025 - 12:15pm
Last Updated: Jun, 2025

The following is a National Lipid Association (NLA) Expert Clinical Consensus on the role of apolipoprotein (apo)B in adult patient care. This document is meant to clarify the role of apoB testing for clinicians who manage cardiovascular risk and lipid disorders, as well as health systems, payers, and medical associations. The 2021 NLA Scientific Statement, Lipid Measurements in the Management of section.

Publish Date:
September 6, 2024 - 6:00am
Last Updated: Jun, 2025

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death among women and its incidence has been increasing recently, particularly among younger women. Across major professional society guidelines, dyslipidemia management remains a central tenet for atherosclerotic CVD prevention for both women and men. Despite this, women, particularly young women, who are candidates for statin therapy are less likely to be treated and less likely to achieve their recommended therapeutic objectives for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels. Elevated LDL-C and triglycerides are the two most common dyslipidemias that should be addressed during pregnancy due to the increased risk for adverse pregnancy outcomes, such as preeclampsia, gestational diabetes mellitus, and pre-term delivery, as well as pancreatitis in the presence of severe hypertriglyceridemia. In this National Lipid Association

Publish Date:
May 2, 2024 - 2:00pm
Last Updated: Jun, 2025

This joint expert review by the Obesity Medicine Association (OMA) and National Lipid Association (NLA) provides clinicians an overview of the pathophysiologic and clinical considerations regarding obesity, dyslipidemia, and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk.

Publish Date:
April 1, 2024 - 9:00am
Last Updated: Dec, 2024

The lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] field is rapidly evolving on many fronts, including understanding of the association between Lp(a) levels and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in different contexts, and how best to manage other CVD risk factors in patients with elevated Lp(a). Considering new insights into the clinical management of these patients, and in the absence of FDA-approved therapies to specifically lower Lp(a) levels, the question of in whom Lp(a) should be measured has become an increasingly important issue in clinical practice.

Publish Date:
March 7, 2024 - 10:00am
Last Updated: May, 2025

Lifestyle habits can have a profound impact on atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk. The National Lipid Association previously published recommendations for lifestyle therapies to manage dyslipidemia. This Clinical Perspective provides an update with a focus on nutrition interventions for the three most common dyslipidemias in adults: 1) low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) elevation; 2) triglyceride (TG) elevation, including severe hypertriglyceridemia with chylomicronemia; and 3) combined dyslipidemia, with elevations in both LDL-C and TG levels. Lowering LDL-C and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol are the primary objectives for reducing ASCVD risk. With severe TG elevation (≥500 mg/dL), the primary objective is to prevent pancreatitis and ASCVD risk reduction is secondary. Nutrition interventions that lower LDL-C levels include reducing cholesterol-raising fatty acids and dietary cholesterol, as well as increasing intakes of unsaturated fatty acids, plant proteins, viscous fibers, and reducing adiposity for patients with overweight or obesity. Selected dietary supplements may be employed as dietary adjuncts. Nutrition interventions for all patients with elevated TG levels include restricting intakes of alcohol, added sugars, and refined starches. Additional lifestyle factors that reduce TG levels are participating in daily physical activity and reducing adiposity in patients with overweight or obesity. For patients with severe hypertriglyceridemia, an individualized approach is essential. Nutrition interventions for addressing concurrent elevations in LDL-C and TG include a combination of the strategies described for lowering LDL-C and TG. A multidisciplinary approach is recommended to facilitate success in making and sustaining dietary changes and the assistance of a registered dietitian nutritionist is highly recommended.

Publish Date:
June 3, 2023 - 9:30am
Last Updated: Mar, 2024