How we evaluate evidence, review products, and keep commercial relationships from influencing what we recommend.
A commercial relationship — an affiliate commission, a sponsorship, a partnership — never affects whether something is included, how it's ranked, or what evidence grade it receives. If we earn a commission from a product, that fact has no bearing on the science we cite about it.
ElevatedCholesterol exists to explain what the evidence actually shows about cholesterol, cardiovascular risk, and the interventions people consider — medications, supplements, diagnostic testing, and lifestyle change. Every clinical claim on this site is anchored to a cited trial, meta-analysis, or the 2026 ACC/AHA dyslipidemia guideline. Where evidence is mixed, limited, or absent, we say so directly rather than rounding up to sound more useful.
This policy explains three things: how we grade evidence, how we review products when we recommend them, and how commercial relationships are kept separate from editorial judgment.
Every intervention discussed on this site — a drug class, a supplement, a diagnostic test — is graded on the strength of evidence behind its specific claimed effect. The grade describes the science, not the product.
| Grade | What it means | Example basis |
|---|---|---|
| Strong | Multiple randomized controlled trials or a meta-analysis, ideally with hard cardiovascular outcomes (events, mortality) rather than surrogate markers alone. | Statins and LDL-lowering event reduction (CTT meta-analysis, 27 trials) |
| Moderate | Consistent RCT evidence for a surrogate endpoint (e.g., LDL reduction), but limited or absent direct evidence that it changes cardiovascular event rates. | Plant sterols and LDL reduction |
| Limited / Emerging | Mechanistic, observational, or early-phase evidence only. May be biologically plausible but not yet demonstrated in rigorous human trials. | Most single-ingredient supplements marketed for "heart health" broadly |
The grade reflects the evidence available as of the last review date shown on each page, and is updated as new trial data is published.
A supplement can be an excellent product — accurately labeled, third-party tested, fairly priced — while the ingredient itself has weak evidence for the cardiovascular benefit it's sold on. The reverse is also true: an ingredient can have strong evidence while a specific product is poorly formulated or overpriced. Conflating the two would let a well-made product borrow credibility from science it doesn't actually have.
Wherever this site shows a product recommendation, the evidence grade for the underlying ingredient and the product-quality assessment are shown as two separate, clearly labeled ratings — never merged into one number. A high product score is never presented in a way that implies the underlying science is stronger than it is.
When this site recommends a specific product, the review considers only the following, applied the same way regardless of any commercial relationship:
Products are not included because they offer better commission terms, and better commission terms never move a product up in a comparison.
ElevatedCholesterol may earn a commission when you purchase through certain links on this site. This is clearly marked wherever it applies. Earning a commission never affects our editorial recommendations, evidence grading, or product rankings — the policy in Section 1 above applies without exception. Full disclosure details are available on our Disclosures page.
Medical evidence changes. When a cited trial is superseded, a guideline is updated, or an error is identified in any article, we correct it and update the page's "last reviewed" date. Material corrections — ones that change a clinical conclusion, not just a typo — are noted at the top of the affected article.
If you believe something on this site is inaccurate or out of date, you can reach us through the contact information on our Disclosures page.