Table 2.

Associations for plasma lipid fractions and risk of cardiometabolic disease

Lipid fraction	Risk of coronary artery disease: genetic estimate	Risk of coronary artery disease: RCT evidence	Risk of type 2 diabetes: genetic estimate	Risk of type 2 diabetes: RCT evidence
Lower LDL cholesterol	Reduced[26–28]	Reduced[6, 23]	Increased[39, 40]	Increased[37]
Higher HDL cholesterol	Null[26–28]	Null[46–49]	Reduced[40]	No evidence
Lower Triglycerides	Reduced[25, 26]	No direct evidence but some indirect evidence for reduced risk[50]	Reduced[40]	No evidence

LDL = low-density lipoproteins; HDL = high-density lipoproteins; Genetic estimate refers to Mendelian randomization studies including multiple genetic variants affecting the trait; RCT evidence = results from randomized control trials of drugs focused primarily on modifying that lipid trait.