Inflammation and Heart Disease

High cholesterol may not be the only major contributing factor to atherosclerosis. Recent studies have found that inflammation may also be a major contributing factor to coronary artery disease.

Normal inflammation is usually an indicator of the body’s healing and immune system responding to localized injury or attack. The generation of heat, redness and swelling along with pain results from an influx of blood and plasma into the injured tissues in response to the immune systems “pain” signals. Abnormal inflammation occurs when areas of the body become inflamed when they are not injured or under attack. One type of abnormal inflammation is the group of autoimmune diseases where the body’s own immune system attacks its own tissues and organs. Some of these autoimmune diseases are rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematus and Type 1 diabetes where the body attacks its insulin producing cells. More recently, researchers are now linking abnormal inflammation with Alzheimer’s disease and coronary artery disease. Alzheimer’s seems to be characterized by an accumulation of a plaque-like compound that may occur in response to inflammation in the brain. Similarly the accumulation of plaque, deposits of cholesterol, along artery walls is thought to be the body’s response to inflammation of the artery walls. The body is depositing cholesterol in an attempt to control the inflammation. Scientists have developed a blood test for C-reactive protein that reflects the degree of inflammation in the arteries and that should be able to predict the likelihood of a heart attack.

Heart Disease

A research study that was published in the August, 2006 “Atherosclerosis” journal showed the value of testing for elevated serum C-reactive protein (CRP) as an indicator of the risk of coronary artery disease. This study was conducted by researchers in the Netherlands and Cambridge University and followed approximately 1100 men and women who developed coronary artery disease and 2100 controls who didn’t develop the disease. The participants lived in Norfolk, England and enrolled in a Cancer and Nutrition study between 1993 and 1997. Hospital admissions over an average 6 year follow-up were used to identify participants who developed or died from coronary artery disease (CAD). While smoking and diabetes were correlated highly with CAD, the predictive capability of elevated C-reactive protein to forecast CAD was very significant. Most studies are now showing that the higher the CRP levels, the higher the risk of having a heart attack. Always talk to your physician before having a CRP test. Testing CRP levels is quite reasonable at about $10 per test. Remember to ask for the highly sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) test as opposed to the CRP test that measures general inflammatory changes in the body.

Scientists don’t know what causes this low grade inflammation of the arteries. They think it could be an infection or it could be diet related. If elevated CRP levels are as important as high LDL cholesterol levels in forecasting heart disease, then what is the best way to ensure our CRP levels remain low? If ordinary bacterial infections such as sinus infections, gum disease and bronchitis can raise our CRP levels and contribute to heart disease then we should pursue a regime that strengthens our immune system and follow a Mediterranean or anti-inflammatory diet. The same steps that we follow to promote a healthy heart are the same ones we can use to strengthen our immune system.

1. Eat more fruits and vegetables and less saturated fats.

2. Don’t smoke.

3. Keep your blood pressure and weight under control.

4. Keep your cholesterol levels low.

5. Exercise regularly.

6. Visit your physician on a regular basis and if he recommends it, then take a baby aspirin on a daily basis.
   
   

Following a Mediterranean or an anti-inflammatory diet means ensuring that you don’t eat any trans fats or artificially hardened fats like margarine, vegetable shortening and partially hydrogenated vegetable oils. Also minimize your use of polyunsaturated vegetable oils like safflower, sunflower, corn etc. which are likely to oxidize and replace them with monounsaturated oils like cold-pressed olive oil or canola oil. It also means eating low Glycemic Index carbohydrates that are less refined and slow to digest. Additional information on the Glycemic Index can be found on our page about weight loss supplements. Finally it means eating a diet rich in the essential omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids that you get from cold water fish such as salmon, sardines, herring and mackerel. If you are concerned about contaminants such as heavy metals that can be concentrated in larger fish or you aren’t getting your 3 servings of fish a week then you can use fish oil supplements that have been molecularly distilled to remove any harmful contaminants.