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C-reactive Protein: Heart Disease - How The Mainstream Is Finally Starting To Catch Up
The mainstream is catching on. But not quite all the way.
More than two years ago I first told you about the importance of C-reactive protein (CRP) as a marker that reveals potential cardiovascular problems. Since then, a number of trials have shown that C-reactive protein (CRP) may prove to be the most reliable marker for cardiovascular disease - far more reliable than cholesterol levels.
A recent article in the US New York Times indicates that the medical establishment is now coming around and recognising the significance of C-reactive protein (CRP). And what is the mainstream solution? Medication, of course!
Some things never change.
Changing course
The New York Times article was written by Jane E. Brody, the personal health columnist. I've taken Ms. Brody to task in previous e-Alerts for her attacks on high-protein diets (most notably, the Atkins plan). In this article, Ms. Brody cites a couple of impressive cardiovascular studies that underline the importance of C-reactive protein (CRP).
In one study of 22,000 men, almost 100 subjects died of sudden cardiac arrest. None of the subjects had high LDL cholesterol levels or any other indications of heart problems except one: they all had high C-reactive protein (CRP) levels. And in a similar study of about 28,000 healthy women, C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were shown to predict strokes and heart attacks better than cholesterol levels did.
What's remarkable about this article is that Ms. Brody recognises the fact that these and other trials indicate that C-reactive protein (CRP) levels may predict cardiac events better than cholesterol levels, which is a major departure from the mainstream cholesterol mindset of the past decade.
And she suggests that C-reactive protein (CRP) levels can be lowered by quitting smoking, losing weight, exercising more, and changing diets. (She doesn't elaborate on exactly what dietary changes to make, but given that a cookbook she published a few years ago is subtitled 'Living the High Carbohydrate Way,' you can imagine what her dietary recommendations might be.)
And then, to that list of natural ways to address high C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, Ms. Brody adds: 'Many drugs may also help, especially the cholesterol-lowering statins and the anti-diabetic thiazolidinediones.'
MANY drugs? Statins? Stop the car, Jane. Here's where I get out.
The larger picture
C-reactive protein is produced by the liver in response to inflammation. And because studies have shown that inflammation may be an aggravating factor in creating the blood clots that commonly lead to cardiovascular (CV) events, C-reactive protein (CRP) appears to be an excellent signal that a danger to heart health exists.
But inflammation is a normal response to other health problems too. Cancer, obesity, rheumatoid arthritis, pneumococcal pneumonia and other infections can all boost C-reactive protein (CRP).
So when C-reactive protein (CRP) levels are high, you know something is wrong. But what you don't need is an expensive drug to make the C-reactive protein (CRP) drop; you need a good doctor who will examine you thoroughly, run whatever tests are necessary, and then treat the problem that's causing the C-reactive protein (CRP) to jump.
Treating the marker (which is simply a tip that there's a larger problem) is like putting your finger into a leak in a dike and saying the dike is repaired.
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