CRP Tag

Women with the highest levels of the inflammatory marker hs-CRP were 70% more likely to experience a cardiovascular event than those with the lowest levels. www.nejm.org

Nearly half a million women in the US die from cardiovascular disease every year, making early identification of those at risk crucial. Traditional identification methods, which focus on age, blood pressure, smoking status, cholesterol levels, and family history, address short-term risks, but longer-term predictions may improve outcomes. A recent study found that measuring specific blood markers can predict cardiovascular events over a 30-year period in women.

The study involved nearly 28,000 healthy US women. Researchers measured three key biomarkers: high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), and lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)]. Then, they tracked the women’s health for 30 years to observe their first major cardiovascular event, including heart attack, stroke, or death from cardiovascular causes.

They found that women with the highest levels of hs-CRP were 70% more likely to experience a cardiovascular event than those with the lowest levels. Similarly, those with the highest LDL and Lp(a) levels were 36% and 33% more likely, respectively, to have a heart attack or stroke. Each biomarker contributed independently to overall cardiovascular risk, with the strongest predictive power coming from a combination of all three markers.

These findings suggest that long-term cardiovascular risk prediction in women can be improved by measuring these biomarkers early in life. This proactive approach could lead to earlier interventions, potentially reducing heart disease risk over several decades.

Study reveals a sixfold decrease in C-reactive protein levels among obese women who took omega-3s during pregnancy. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Obesity Omega-3 Inflammation Pregnancy Supplements CRP

Pregnant women with obesity often experience high levels of inflammation. But a new study shows that omega-3s may reduce inflammation during pregnancy. Women with obesity who took omega-3 fatty acids during their pregnancies experienced a sixfold reduction in C-reactive protein, a marker of inflammation.

The study involved 49 pregnant women with obesity. Half of the women took an omega-3 supplement providing 800 milligrams of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and 1,200 milligrams of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) daily, starting before week 16 of their pregnancies and continuing until delivery. The other half took a placebo containing wheat germ oil. Researchers measured the women’s inflammatory biomarkers before and after the intervention.

They found that the women’s omega-3 levels increased markedly following the intervention, and their C-reactive protein levels decreased sixfold. Inflammatory gene expression in adipose and placental tissues also decreased.

These findings suggest that omega-3 fatty acids reduce inflammation in pregnant women with obesity, aligning with evidence demonstrating that omega-3 fatty acids modulate inflammation by inhibiting the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and eicosanoids. Furthermore, byproducts of omega-3 metabolism called specialized pro-resolving mediators, or SPMs, help resolve inflammation. Learn more about SPMs in this clip featuring omega-3 expert Dr. Bill Harris.

Read full publication.

Magnesium supplementation may reduce inflammation. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Nutrition Diet Inflammation CRP

A 2018 study found that supplemental magnesium reduced levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) – a robust marker of inflammation. Improvements in CRP levels were seen regardless of the dose or duration of supplementation.

Researchers analyzed the findings of eight randomized, controlled trials that investigated the effects of supplemental magnesium on CRP.

They found that doses ranged from 320 to 1,500 milligrams per day, and the duration of supplementation ranged from eight hours to just over six months. CRP levels dropped an average of 1.33 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) with magnesium supplementation, especially when CRP levels were 2.0 mg/dl or higher. Because normal CRP levels (seen in most healthy adults) are typically less than 0.3 mg/dL and normal or slightly elevated levels are typically 0.3 to 1.0 mg/dL, this reduction represented a considerable change.

C-reactive protein is a protein that increases up to 1,000-fold at sites of inflammation or infection in response to elevated levels of inflammatory cytokines, especially interleukin-6. It can also increase in the blood following a heart attack, surgery, or trauma. High CRP levels are associated with atherosclerosis, congestive heart failure, atrial fibrillation, and myocarditis, suggesting that CRP participates in the pathophysiology of cardiovascular disease.

Magnesium is an essential mineral. It is found in green leafy vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and nuts. Poor magnesium status is implicated in several metabolic and inflammatory disorders including hypertension, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, and cardiovascular diseases.

The findings from this meta-analysis suggest that supplemental magnesium reduces inflammation, a driver of many chronic diseases. You can read about other strategies to reduce inflammation in our overview articles on aerobic exercise, sauna use, and cold exposure.

Read full publication.

Interleukin-6, CRP and triglycerides are likely shared causal risk factors for depression and coronary heart disease. (2019) www.sciencedaily.com

Brain Heart Disease Inflammation Depression Triglycerides IL-6 CRP

From the article:

Together, these results suggest that the link between heart disease and depression cannot be explained by a common genetic predisposition to the two diseases. Instead, it implies that something about an individual’s environment – such as the risk factors they are exposed to – not only increases their risk of heart disease, but at the same time increases their risk of depression.

[…]

Of these common biomarkers, they found that triglycerides (a type of fat found in the blood) and the inflammation-related proteins IL-6 and CRP were also risk factors for depression.

Both IL-6 and CRP are inflammatory markers that are produced in response to damaging stimuli, such as infection, stress or smoking. Studies by Dr Khandaker and others have previously shown that people with elevated levels of IL-6 and CRP in the blood are more prone to develop depression, and that levels of these biomarkers are high in some patients during acute depressive episode. Elevated markers of inflammation are also seen in people with treatment resistant depression. This has raised the prospect that anti-inflammatory drugs might be used to treat some patients with depression. Dr Khandaker is currently involved in a clinical trial to test tocilizumab, an anti-inflammatory drug used for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis that inhibits IL-6, to see if reducing inflammation leads to improvement in mood and cognitive function in patients with depression.

While the link between triglycerides and coronary heart disease is well documented, it is not clear why they, too, should contribute to depression. The link is unlikely to be related by obesity, for example, as this study has found no evidence for a causal link between body mass index (BMI) and depression.

View full publication

Maternal immune activation during pregnancy is associated with changes in the newborns' stimulus processing and long-term development. (2018) www.sciencedaily.com

Brain Inflammation Pregnancy Autism Schizophrenia IL-6 CRP

From the article:

Blood drawn from mothers during their third trimester was tested for levels of IL-6 and CRP – two proteins that are found at higher levels when the immune system is activated. Peterson’s team also monitored fetal heart rate as an indicator for nervous system development. The team found that CRP did correlate with variability of the fetal heart rate, which is influenced heavily by the nervous system, indicating that maternal inflammation was already beginning to shape brain development.

When the babies were born, they were given MRI scans in their first few weeks of life, providing researchers a unique view of early neural development and the influence of prenatal factors. Brain imaging revealed a striking finding – significant changes in the communication between specific brain regions correlated with elevated maternal IL-6 and CRP levels. These brain regions are known collectively as the salience network, whose job is to filter stimuli coming into the brain and determine which deserve attention.

[…]

“The salience network sifts through that information and decides what is important and warrants action.” Disturbances in the functioning of this network, as well as various kind of infection and other triggers of a pregnant woman’s immune response, have been linked to development of psychiatric illnesses, such as schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorders.

[…]

The correlations of elevated maternal inflammatory markers were not limited to the newborn period, but continued to persist into toddlerhood. When the babies turned 14 months of age, researchers assessed them for motor skills, language development, and behavior. Following the established Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development-Third Edition, Peterson found significant changes in the scores of toddlers born to mothers with elevated levels of both IL-6 and CRP.

View full publication

Stress-induced chronic inflammation is associated with depression and other diseases. (2015) www.sciencedaily.com

Exercise Brain Inflammation Depression Stress Meditation Mental Health NSAID IL-6 CRP

From the article:

The authors found that in addition to being linked to numerous physical health issues, including cancer and diabetes, systemic inflammation is linked to mental health issues such as depression. Among patients suffering from clinical depression, concentrations of two inflammatory markers, CRP and IL-6, were elevated by up to 50 percent.

Fagundes said chronic inflammation is most common in individuals who have experienced stress in their lives, including lower socio-economic status or those who experienced abuse or neglect as children. Other contributing factors are a high-fat diet and high body mass index.

[…]

The study also found that depression caused by chronic inflammation is resistant to traditional therapy methods, but can be treated with activities such as yoga, meditation NSAIDS and exercise.

View full publication

Social rank and rank uncertainty predicted levels of the pro-inflammatory proteins CRP, IL-6 and TNF-alpha in monkeys. (2016) www.sciencedaily.com

Brain Inflammation IL-6 TNF-Alpha CRP

From the article

The team found that social rank and rank uncertainty predicted key risk factors for poor health, specifically pro-inflammatory proteins (C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha) which are risk factors for chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

[…]

The researchers discovered that high ranking monkeys with low certainty of their social status showed higher markers of inflammation, which can be a sign of a chronic disease state such as diabetes, than those with very certain status. So high-ranking monkeys may experience some health risks, but only when their position is questionable and they are consequently at risk of losing their status.

The opposite pattern was found for low ranking monkeys – high dominance certainty was associated with higher markers of inflammation, whereas low certainty was associated with lower levels of inflammatory proteins. Monkeys that are uncertain in their low rank might have opportunities for upward mobility in the hierarchy, which may be associated with better health outcomes.

Vandeleest said the results of the study show that status uncertainty alone may be a risk factor for acute diseases. The results also indicate that uncertainty in status over longer periods in relationship to rank are related to chronic disease states as well.

View full publication

RCT suggests that TNF-alpha antagonism may improve depressive symptoms in patients with high inflammatory biomarkers. (2012) www.sciencedaily.com

Brain Inflammation Depression TNF-Alpha CRP

From the article:

Prior studies have suggested that depressed people with evidence of high inflammation are less likely to respond to traditional treatments for the disorder, including anti-depressant medications and psychotherapy. This study was designed to see whether blocking inflammation would be a useful treatment for either a wide range of people with difficult-to-treat depression or only those with high levels of inflammation.

[…]

Study participants all had major depression and were moderately resistant to conventional antidepressant treatment. Each participant was assigned either to infliximab or to a non-active placebo treatment.

When investigators looked at the results for the group as a whole, no significant differences were found in the improvement of depression symptoms between the drug and placebo groups. However, when the subjects with high inflammation were examined separately, they exhibited a much better response to infliximab [TNF inhibitor] than to placebo.

Inflammation in this study was measured using a simple blood test that is readily available in most clinics and hospitals and measures C-reactive protein or CRP. The higher the CRP, the higher the inflammation, and the higher the likelihood of responding to the drug.

View full publication

Association of serum interleukin-6 and C-reactive protein in childhood with depression and psychosis in young adult life. (2014) www.sciencedaily.com

Brain Heart Disease Diabetes Depression Mental Health IL-6 CRP

From the article:

Now, researchers have carried out the first ever longitudinal study – a study that follows the same cohort of people over a long period of time – to examine the link between these markers [cytokines such as interleukin-6] in childhood and subsequent mental illness.

A team of scientists led by the University of Cambridge studied a sample of 4,500 individuals from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children – also known as Children of the 90s – taking blood samples at age 9 and following up at age 18 to see if they had experienced episodes of depression or psychosis. The team divided the individuals into three groups, depending on whether their everyday levels of IL-6 were low, medium or high. They found that those children in the ‘high’ group were nearly two times more likely to have experienced depression or psychosis than those in the ‘low’ group.

[…]

The research indicates that chronic physical illness such as coronary heart disease and type 2 diabetes may share a common mechanism with mental illness. People with depression and schizophrenia are known to have a much higher risk of developing heart disease and diabetes, and elevated levels of IL-6 have previously been shown to increase the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

Professor Peter Jones, Head of the Department of Psychiatry and senior author of the study, says: “Inflammation may be a common mechanism that influences both our physical and mental health. It is possible that early life adversity and stress lead to persistent increase in levels of IL-6 and other inflammatory markers in our body, which, in turn, increase the risk of a number of chronic physical and mental illness.”

[…]

This potential common mechanism could help explain why physical exercise and diet, classic ways of reducing risk of heart disease, for example, are also thought to improve mood and help depression. The group is now planning additional studies to confirm whether inflammation is a common link between chronic physical and mental illness.

View full publication

CRP

Episodes

Topic Pages

News & Publications