Bonfire of the Arteries (C -Reactive Protein)

[Guest guest]

Since Dr.Shoemaker and several other doctors who treat our condition

use this marker, along with other indicators, which is NOW starting

to be taken seriously, that must mean they know a little something

and aren't quacks like our critics have been saying. Dang, who'd a

thunk a little blood test would have any meaning even when other

tests are normal.... grrrr.

Sharon C.

Bonfire of the Arteries

Courtesy of Men's Health*

http://body.aol.com/condition-center/heart-disease/inflammation?

icid=100214839x1200758293x1200033209

Inflammation is the slow burn that sparks thousands of heart attacks

and strokes every year. Protect yourself with these 7 fire

extinguishers.

Gamblers, weathermen, and Dionne Warwick aren't the only people who

try to make a living predicting the future. Doctors do, too. Just as

a gambler might gather stats like Sammy Sosa's slugging percentage

on Thursday games at home when the wind is less than 15 mph, a

doctor gathers vital information to try to determine the odds on

your health.

For years, physicians focused on basic measures, such as blood

pressure, weight, and cholesterol. But recently, more and more

studies have shown that there's a new MVP (most valuable predictor)

when it comes to forecasting heart disease. It's a substance that

sounds like a grunge-rock band: C-reactive protein (CRP).

Though it was discovered in 1930, only in the past several years has

CRP been shown to be important. Doctors now know that CRP helps

measure chronic inflammation and the overall health of your

arteries. The higher your CRP level, the more at risk you may be for

heart disease -- even if your other indicators look normal.

" Half of all heart attacks and strokes in the United States each

year occur among people with essentially normal cholesterol levels, "

says Ridker, M.D., a professor of medicine at Harvard medical

school. " There's more to heart disease than just lipids. In addition

to the problem of cholesterol, there's the problem of the immune

system or the inflammation response. "

A heart attack occurs when plaque ruptures inside your blood

vessels. But that rupturing hinges not just on how much plaque you

have but also on the degree of inflammation, Dr. Ridker says. Your

level of CRP -- measured by a simple blood test -- helps detect this

condition so you can predict whether you're in danger of

cardiovascular disease and stroke. " You can be at quite a high risk

of both despite having normal cholesterol, " Dr. Ridker says. " Even

people with low cholesterol but high CRP are at high risk. "

Luckily, just as you can with cholesterol and body fat, you can take

steps to shrink your CRP. " If you have your CRP measured in your 20s

and 30s, you can prevent heart disease and strokes in your 50s and

60s, " Dr. Ridker says. Aside from drugs such as statins, lifestyle

changes are the best way to whittle down your CRP and, more

important, snuff the flames before they snuff you.

Inflammation Fighter 1: Pop a Multivitamin

A grande cappuccino isn't the only thing you'd better slug down

before you go to work. A study in the American Journal of Medicine

showed that people who popped a multivitamin each morning for 6

months decreased their CRP by 0.7 milligrams per liter (mg/l). And a

University of California at Berkeley study found that people who

took 500 mg of vitamin C saw a 24 percent drop in CRP after just 2

months.

Arch Mainous, Ph.D., a professor of family medicine at the Medical

University of South Carolina, says CRP levels are connected to the

amount of stress caused by free radicals in your body. " Vitamins C

and E decrease the oxidative stress, " he says.

Take 500 mg of a vitamin C supplement, or a multivitamin like GNC

Men's Mega Men, which contains one of the highest levels of vitamin

C (300 mg) in a multi. Another way to swallow more C: cherries.

In a small study published in the Journal of Nutrition, people who

ate two daily servings of cherries lowered their CRP by 16 percent.

Inflammation Fighter 2: Trust Your Greek Friends

Whether for your car, your uncle's hair, or your arteries, the right

kind of oil can make everything run smoothly. A recent study at the

University of Athens in Greece found that people who most closely

followed a Mediterranean diet -- one rich in olive oil -- had CRP

numbers 20 percent lower than those of their less oily brethren.

" We believe olive oil helps turn off the gene that makes the pro-

inflammatory molecules that attach to your arteries, " says

Roizen, M.D., a professor of medicine at SUNY Upstate Medical

University and author of Real Age: Are You As Young As You Can Be?

Dr. Roizen suggests taking in 25 percent of your daily calories from

monounsaturated fats, with an emphasis on olive oil as the source.

One way to sneak it in: breakfast. Take a tablespoon of olive oil

and mix in the spice of your choice -- oregano if you like Italian

food, red pepper if you like things spicy -- then spread it on your

toast, bagel, or English muffin. Or use it instead of butter when

you're cooking eggs.

Olive Oil

A recent study at the University of Athens in Greece found that

people who most closely followed a Mediterranean diet -- one rich in

olive oil -- had CRP numbers 20 percent lower than those of their

less oily brethren.

Don't Forget to Floss

Periodontology shows that the inflammatory effects of periodontal

disease also cause inflammation of your arteries; signs of disease

in multiple spots in your mouth can hike CRP by 14 percent.