From the New York Times Editorial page:
"The evidence has gotten much stronger that a substance known as C-reactive protein may be every bit as important as cholesterol in the diagnosis and treatment of heart disease. Back in 2002, a thought-provoking study found that a blood test for C-reactive protein, called CRP, was actually better than the standard cholesterol test at predicting the risk of a heart attack or a stroke. Now two studies published in The New England Journal of Medicine have shown that drugs that reduce the levels of that protein in patients with severe heart disease can slow the progression of atherosclerosis and prevent heart attacks and cardiac-related deaths."
"...After years of focusing on the role of cholesterol in clogging arteries, researchers now recognize C-reactive protein, a measure of inflammation in artery walls and elsewhere, as a prime risk factor in its own right."
"The key study published last week found that heart disease patients who were given high doses of a cholesterol-lowering statin drug also experienced a drop in CRP levels and in heart attacks. Thus the high-dose statin packed a double wallop..."
Kudos to my primary physician who has been checking my CRP for some time now. Last October, it was 3-1/2 to 4 times the level it should be. Something, somewhere, inside my body is INFLAMED!!
1 comment:
Think about this: nearly every human disease is caused by inflammation - or rather, causes of inflammation is the root of all human disease.
These things are natural anti-inflammatory agents, to some extent: olive oil, reservatrol (in red wine and some fruits), omega-3 fatty acids (in fatty fish and flax seed), aspirin (salicylic acid, found in willow bark). It's why these are best for prevention or control of heart disease.
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