Inflammation and CVD

Everyone understands that there is a connection between ‘cholesterol’ and cardiovascular disease (CVD) and that it is the pattern of all the blood ‘lipoproteins’ not just the total cholesterol that determines the risk.

Some of us have been mislead into thinking that dietary fat intake increases cholesterol. In fact most of our cholesterol is manufactured in the liver not eaten, and eating good fat's is beneficial.

Abnormal blood lipids are a sign, mainly, of disordered carbohydrate metabolism and the dietary requirement is limiting sugar and refined carbohydrate intake.

The new piece of the jigsaw is that even if the lipoproteins are ‘perfect’ there is still a hazard to the heart from inflammation.

A recent study of at risk individuals, taking optimum statins and with good plasma lipids, showed that inflammation assessed by high-sensitivity CRP was a stronger predictor for risk of future cardiovascular events than lipids*.

A recent study showed that after statin therapy that successfully controlled lipids, the risk of CVD was determined by the level of residual inflammation as measured by highly sensitive C Reactive Protein (hsCRP) levels.

A second trial established that an anti inflammation agent called colchicine was able to modify that risk.

Colchicine is a drug that has to be prescribed and its use is still under investigation in this indication. However anyone can reduce their personal levels of inflammation by diet improvement and by taking agents like Fisetin Quercetin, Curcumin and Resveratrol that target inflammatory processes (see my review of supplements).

The take home message

Cardiovascular health is a critical part of a successful anti-aging strategy.

Keep your risk low by controlling stress, maintaining normal blood sugar

control, checking lipoprotein levels [and taking statins or other drugs as needed to optimise the pattern]:

Finally, check hsCRP and if high use a combination supplement approach as outlined in Infosheet 20.

Best wishes 

Nick 

* Tardif JC, Samuel M. Inflammation contributes to cardiovascular risk in patients receiving statin therapy. Lancet. 2023 Mar 3:S0140-6736(23)00454-3. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(23)00454-3. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36893776

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