This week I found myself explaining blood tests to a patient. In particular, I was interested in her C-Reactive Protein (CRP) results. This is a simple blood test that is often overlooked in a standard battery of tests, and yet it’s one which gives us a very clear insight into a person's risk of nasty degenerative diseases.

CRP is a protein molecule produced in the liver in response to inflammation in the body.  Inflammation is the body’s immunological response to bacterial or viral invasion, or trauma such as twisting an ankle. Under these circumstances the inflammatory response works in our favour to wake up infection fighting immune agents, and speed tissue healing.

Increasingly, though, we are paying the price for our overweight bodies and sedentary lifestyles, with chronic inflammation becoming an epidemic. When the acute inflammatory response that helps us becomes stuck in the “on” position, the ongoing systemic inflammation can wreak havoc in our body. It is thought that this inflammation is a main driver in the development of debilitating diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and Alzheimer’s.

Measuring CRP levels allows us to determine what degree of systemic inflammation exists. Otherwise healthy middle-aged men with the highest CRP levels are three times more likely to suffer a heart attack in the next six years compared with their peers who have the lowest CRP levels.

If your CRP is three or higher, your risk of heart disease is tripled. And the danger is even greater if you are a woman. On the other hand, if your CRP is a very healthy 0.5 or lower, it is highly unlikely that you will ever end up in the cardiology ward.

If you’re over 40, I would recommend an annual wellness check that not only includes testing your cholesterol and triglycerides, but also measuring your CRP levels. Everyone knows that too much cholesterol is bad for your health, but in truth the picture is a lot more complex.

LDL (low density lipoprotein) is the “bad” potentially troublesome cholesterol that can cause plaquing in your arteries. If your LDL levels are high, but there is no sign of inflammation in your body (shown by a low CRP reading), then you’re at a much lower risk of heart attack than someone with high bad cholesterol and a high CRP reading.

When there is inflammation, it increases the likelihood that the LDL plaques in the arteries will rupture and cause a heart attack. This is one of the ways in which aspirin (an anti-inflammatory) helps reduce heart attack risk (see my previous blog on aspirin).  Statin drugs are prescribed to lower bad LDL cholesterol, but it turns out that they also work as an anti-inflammatory, thus reducing likelihood of LDL plaques breaking away and causing heart attacks.

One of the causes of chronic inflammation in the body is an excess of abdominal fat. If you are overweight and carrying much of your excess fat around the middle, you are also likely to have an elevated CRP. Abdominal fat takes on a life of its own, resembling a hormone secreting organ. 

Many of the chemicals produced in abdominal fat work as inflammatory agents, as well as decreasing sensitivity to the blood sugar regulating hormone insulin. Some research suggests that inflammation can increase risk of diabetes, and a higher CRP reading is predictive of a higher risk of developing type II diabetes. While common sense would suggest that taking steps to lower CRP will also lower diabetes risk, it’s too early to definitively make this claim based on clinical trials.

There are some simple steps you can take to reduce your CRP and along with it your risk of chronic degenerative disease. It always seems to come down to the same simple, but not so simple, equation: Loose weight and exercise more! 

Loosing weight (especially when the excess weight is on your abdomen) increases your sensitivity to the hormone insulin, and at the same time lowers CRP levels.

Also, if you're a smoker, stop now to lower CRP.  

A Mediterranean diet can lower levels of this inflammatory marker. That means eating plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, fish, olives, garlic, and yes, a little red wine. Increasing your dietary fibre content has also been shown to lower CRP, so switch to wholegrains, brown rice, beans and lentils and lots of fruit and vegetables.

Lynda Wharton is a health and wellbeing writer, columnist and author. She also practises as an acupuncturist and naturopath.

lynda@lyndawharton.com

www.lyndawharton.com