What is C-Reactive Protein?

C-reactive protein (CRP) is an inflammatory marker, a protein produced in response to injury. Chronically elevated levels of CRP are idicative of a state of systemic inflammation that can cause to contribute to a broad spectrum of diseases.

C-reactive protein is an especially important marker for heart disease. Elevated blood levels of C-reactive protein significantly increase the risk or heart attack or stroke. A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that men whose CRP was in the top 25% had three times the incidence of heart attack and twice the frequency of stroke.

CRP is actually a much better predictor of cardiovascular risk than cholesterol. Together, their ability to predict risk is much higher than either alone.

From statistical studies physicians have known that an elevated C-reactive protein, a marker for increased inflammation in the body, was closely associated with increased risk of heart attack or stroke. But the mechanism was not clear. Recent research has changed all that.

How does C-reactive protein contribute to heart and cardiovascular disease? Endothelial damage (damage to the inner lining of the artery) is one of the first steps in the arterial hardening process known as atherogenesis. Researchers at the University of California, Davis Medical Center have now shown that C-reactive protein induces the endothelial damage that leads to plaque formation.

Scientists now recognize that excess CRP reflects an underlying elevation in pro-inflammatory cytokines.

Anyone who is at increased risk of heart disease should have C-reactive protein tested. And testing to determine cardiovascular risk should include a CRP. CRP testing is inexpensive and highly accurate

With proper nutritional supplementation, an elevated C-reactive protein can be reversed, thus halting the inflammatory damage it causes.

When ordering, ask for the "high sensitivity" CRP. The optimal level for hs-CRP is as low as possible. Above 2.0, the risk of future stroke or heart attack is significantly higher, and risk correlates positively with degree of elevation--that is, the higher the level the greater the risk.