Posted on 11/02/2008 8:31:04 PM PST by neverdem
Measured by a simple blood test, c-reactive protein (CRP) has vexed scientists for years. People with elevated CRP levels tend to be at higher risk of a heart attack, but does that mean the protein is causing arteries to clog and these people require medication? A study of nearly 51,000 people in Denmark says no.
Although the study is far from the last word, researchers say it will likely shift the debate about how to use CRP in guiding treatment. The work also underscores a relatively new way to uncover a single factor's influence on disease: by isolating it genetically in a large population.
CRP was discovered in 1929. Produced by the liver, it indicates inflammation in the body. For example, CRP levels surge following a trauma to tissues. People with elevated CRP levels have a higher risk of heart attack, which is caused when plaques in arteries around the heart rupture. These plaques are the hallmarks of atherosclerosis, a disease thought to be exacerbated by inflammation. People with high CRP levels are also more likely to suffer from other health problems, such as obesity and type 2 diabetes.
But no one has pinned down whether CRP is driving disease or is merely a sign of it. The distinction is crucial for understanding how atherosclerosis develops as well as determining whether CRP is a useful drug target--and whether lowering it can save lives.
To find out whether CRP promotes vascular disease, Børge Nordestgaard, a genetic epidemiologist and physician at Copenhagen University Hospital, and colleagues analyzed DNA from 50,816 participants in four large health studies. The researchers focused on four changes in the CRP gene, each of which, researchers have found, raises CRP levels. The worst combination of the four, Nordestgaard's group confirmed, boosts levels by 64%. The scientists estimated, based on earlier studies, that this group should have about a 30% higher chance of heart attacks. But there was no increased risk for them or any of the other groups carrying supposedly deleterious DNA, the team reports in the 30 October issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. The strategy is different than previous population studies of CRP, which have generally looked not at genetics but at how CRP levels correlate with heart attacks. This other approach doesn't rule out that CRP reflects existing disease or travels along with other risk factors that are the real culprits.
"Without any doubt, this tells us that CRP's not causing atherosclerosis," says Nordestgaard. He believes instead that CRP simply points to atherosclerosis that's already there.
Not everyone agrees. Paul Ridker, a cardiologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, is testing whether lowering CRP and cholesterol can prevent heart attacks. He wants to see "direct experimental testing" that CRP doesn't cause atherosclerosis by altering levels and then determining a person's chance of a heart attack.
But cardiologist Nilesh Samani of the University of Leicester in the U.K. says that the Danish group took "a fine approach" that can be applied to other biomarkers, especially before hundreds of millions of dollars are spent to develop drugs that target a molecule that may not in fact be causing a disease. Already, researchers have tried this genetic strategy to discern the function of high-density lipoprotein, often called "good" cholesterol, and found that it has little effect on health. Still, Samani notes that CRP can still be very useful for identifying people at high risk for heart disease, particularly those without other risk factors such as high cholesterol.
Genetically Elevated C-Reactive Protein and Ischemic Vascular Disease
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Stay home or vote third party. Don't be surprised with what you get.
http://www.nraila.org/media/PDFs/ObamaLetterNRAAd.pdf
Do We Still Need Embryonic Stem Cells?
FReepmail me if you want on or off my health and science ping list.
Plaque forms when arteries get weak. In the spots where the arterial wall is weakening, is where the plaque forms, as a barrier to protect the vessel from bursting. It is basically like a little buttress or dam that forms over the weak spots of the artery tissue.
A main factor in arterial wall weakening is lack of vitamins, specifically sufficient amounts of vitamin c. As the arterial tissue receives the nutrients it needs, it becomes healthier again, and the plaque buildup decreases as it is no longer needed to protect the weakened tissue from rupture.
Arterial weakening can be reversed by vitamin c therapy. Reference Linus Paulings work on vitamin c work. Just google him.
But what do the polls show?......
BUMP
I'm inclined to think CRP is just an indicator. I never got a straight answer. 40 minutes a day on a treadmill eventually "fixed" the swelling in my legs. I was finally able to wear my shoes again after 90 days of exercising at this level.
Barry Sears speaks of "silent inflammation". That is inflammation that exists on a chronic basis, but at a level below the perception of pain. Eventually that inflammation manifests itself as diabetes, heart disease and Alzheimer's. Sears recommends his "Zone Diet" and large doses of molecularly distilled fish oil to achieve high intake of DHA and EPA. Sears' latest book "Toxic Fat" takes aim at arachidonic acid. Access to cheap carbohydrates (raising insulin), seed oils (increasing omega-6 fats) and decrease of fish as a food (reducing omega-3 fats) create the "perfect storm" to increase levels of arachidonic acid. The body attempts to dilute the concentration of AA by wrapping it in fat. That works to a point. Once it fails, the failure sets of a spectacular chain of events that destroys the individuals health. AA makes it to the blood stream and settles in muscles, organs and the brain. Sears' makes a pretty good case for following his recommendations.
Cheers!
Arterial weakening can be reversed by vitamin c therapy. Reference Linus Paulings work on vitamin c work. Just google him.
Thank you for stating the benefits of Vit C. I am a firm believer. It cures arthritis and all kinds of maladies. The Vit C dimishes inflammation. I wouldn't be without it one day. I take a minimum of 4 grams of Ester C daily. It has worked wonders.
Info-bump
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