Bob_Arctor
01-06-2005, 01:10 AM
Here's some good news from the world of medicine:
"Reducing the levels of a certain protein secreted by the body may be as powerful a tool in slowing heart disease and preventing heart attacks and cardiac-related death as lowering cholesterol, two teams of researchers are reporting today. The studies, being published in The New England Journal of Medicine, provide the strongest evidence yet that the protein - known as CRP, for C-reactive protein - plays a role in heart disease.
The participants were patients with severe heart disease who were taking high doses of statin drugs, which reduce both cholesterol and CRP. Lower CRP levels, the researchers found, were linked to a slower progression of atherosclerosis and fewer heart attacks and deaths. And this effect was independent of the effect of lowering cholesterol.
<>"What we now have is hard clinical evidence that reducing CRP is at least as important as lowering cholesterol," said Dr. Paul Ridker of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, the lead author of one of the studies.
...
</><>CRP levels are low in healthy young people - usually less than one milligram per liter of blood - but they rise with age and with obesity, diabetes, smoking and a sedentary life. If people lose weight, stop smoking, exercise or take oral diabetes drugs, their CRP levels fall. But a third of the population has levels greater than three milligrams, and levels that high have been associated with heart disease risk, Dr. Ridker said."
</>http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/06/health/06protein.html
CRP has been known to be involved with heart trouble and other problems (often involving inflammation) for some time. I'm glad this will get more attention now. Below is an interesting tie-in: it seems that the ethanol alone in beer and wine acts as an anti-inflammatory, helping reduce the levels of CRP.
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr><td>Eur Heart J. 2004 Dec;25(23):2092-100.</td> <td align="right"><script language="JavaScript1.2">!-- var PopUpMenu2_LocalConfig_jsmenu3Config = [ ["ShowCloseIcon","yes"], ["Help","window.open('/entrez/query/static/popup.html','Links_Help','resizable=no,scrollbars= yes,toolbar=no,location=no,directories=no,status=n o,menubar=no,copyhistory=no,alwaysRaised=no,depend =no,width=400,height=500');"], ["TitleText"," Links "] ] //--> </script> <script language="JavaScript1.2"> <!-- var Menu15571824 = [ ["UseLocalConfig","jsmenu3Config","",""], ["Books","window.top.location='http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&list_uids=15571824&dopt=Books'","",""], ["LinkOut","window.top.location='http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&list_uids=15571824&dopt=ExternalLink'","",""] ] //-->*</script>
</td> </tr></tbody> </table>
Overall alcohol intake, beer, wine, and systemic markers of inflammation in western Europe: results from three MONICA samples (Augsburg, Glasgow, Lille).
Imhof A, Woodward M, Doering A, Helbecque N, Loewel H, Amouyel P, Lowe GD, Koenig W.
Dept. of Internal Medicine II, Cardiology, University of Ulm Medical Center, Robert-Koch-Strasse 8, D-89081 Ulm, Germany.
AIM: Anti-inflammatory effects of moderate alcohol consumption have been proposed to explain why moderate alcohol intake lowers coronary heart disease risk. We investigated the relationship between overall alcohol, beer or wine consumption and markers of systemic inflammation in three different geographical areas in Europe. METHODS AND RESULTS: Cross-sectional samples, each representative of the general population from Germany, Scotland, and France (MONICA Augsburg 1994/95, 2275 men and 2186 women, 25-74 years; Glasgow MONICA 1994/95, 561/616, 25-74 years, and MONICA Lille 1994/95, 581/574, 35-64 years) were studied. Alcohol intake was assessed by standardized interview. Adjusted means of C-reactive protein (CRP), fibrinogen, white blood cell (WBC) count, plasma viscosity (PV), and albumin were calculated among categories of alcohol intake, and separately for beer or wine consumption, by multiple linear regression. Self-reported moderate daily alcohol intake up to 40 g was associated with lower concentrations of CRP, fibrinogen, PV and WBC count, compared to non-drinking and heavy drinking, even after adjustment for various potential confounders. CONCLUSIONS: Moderate consumption of either wine or beer is associated with lower levels of systemic inflammatory markers in three different European areas, suggesting that ethanol itself might be largely responsible for the potential anti-inflammatory effects of these beverages.
If some way can be found to inhibit high levels of CRP can be found - which is very likely, as it is a protein generated by an enzyme system which can be inhibited - this could be a great aid for prevention of heart disease as well as many other conditions that involve inflammation - bowel disease, periodonitis, arthritis, renal failure, and so on.
Bob Arctor
"Reducing the levels of a certain protein secreted by the body may be as powerful a tool in slowing heart disease and preventing heart attacks and cardiac-related death as lowering cholesterol, two teams of researchers are reporting today. The studies, being published in The New England Journal of Medicine, provide the strongest evidence yet that the protein - known as CRP, for C-reactive protein - plays a role in heart disease.
The participants were patients with severe heart disease who were taking high doses of statin drugs, which reduce both cholesterol and CRP. Lower CRP levels, the researchers found, were linked to a slower progression of atherosclerosis and fewer heart attacks and deaths. And this effect was independent of the effect of lowering cholesterol.
<>"What we now have is hard clinical evidence that reducing CRP is at least as important as lowering cholesterol," said Dr. Paul Ridker of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, the lead author of one of the studies.
...
</><>CRP levels are low in healthy young people - usually less than one milligram per liter of blood - but they rise with age and with obesity, diabetes, smoking and a sedentary life. If people lose weight, stop smoking, exercise or take oral diabetes drugs, their CRP levels fall. But a third of the population has levels greater than three milligrams, and levels that high have been associated with heart disease risk, Dr. Ridker said."
</>http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/06/health/06protein.html
CRP has been known to be involved with heart trouble and other problems (often involving inflammation) for some time. I'm glad this will get more attention now. Below is an interesting tie-in: it seems that the ethanol alone in beer and wine acts as an anti-inflammatory, helping reduce the levels of CRP.
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr><td>Eur Heart J. 2004 Dec;25(23):2092-100.</td> <td align="right"><script language="JavaScript1.2">!-- var PopUpMenu2_LocalConfig_jsmenu3Config = [ ["ShowCloseIcon","yes"], ["Help","window.open('/entrez/query/static/popup.html','Links_Help','resizable=no,scrollbars= yes,toolbar=no,location=no,directories=no,status=n o,menubar=no,copyhistory=no,alwaysRaised=no,depend =no,width=400,height=500');"], ["TitleText"," Links "] ] //--> </script> <script language="JavaScript1.2"> <!-- var Menu15571824 = [ ["UseLocalConfig","jsmenu3Config","",""], ["Books","window.top.location='http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&list_uids=15571824&dopt=Books'","",""], ["LinkOut","window.top.location='http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&list_uids=15571824&dopt=ExternalLink'","",""] ] //-->*</script>
</td> </tr></tbody> </table>
Overall alcohol intake, beer, wine, and systemic markers of inflammation in western Europe: results from three MONICA samples (Augsburg, Glasgow, Lille).
Imhof A, Woodward M, Doering A, Helbecque N, Loewel H, Amouyel P, Lowe GD, Koenig W.
Dept. of Internal Medicine II, Cardiology, University of Ulm Medical Center, Robert-Koch-Strasse 8, D-89081 Ulm, Germany.
AIM: Anti-inflammatory effects of moderate alcohol consumption have been proposed to explain why moderate alcohol intake lowers coronary heart disease risk. We investigated the relationship between overall alcohol, beer or wine consumption and markers of systemic inflammation in three different geographical areas in Europe. METHODS AND RESULTS: Cross-sectional samples, each representative of the general population from Germany, Scotland, and France (MONICA Augsburg 1994/95, 2275 men and 2186 women, 25-74 years; Glasgow MONICA 1994/95, 561/616, 25-74 years, and MONICA Lille 1994/95, 581/574, 35-64 years) were studied. Alcohol intake was assessed by standardized interview. Adjusted means of C-reactive protein (CRP), fibrinogen, white blood cell (WBC) count, plasma viscosity (PV), and albumin were calculated among categories of alcohol intake, and separately for beer or wine consumption, by multiple linear regression. Self-reported moderate daily alcohol intake up to 40 g was associated with lower concentrations of CRP, fibrinogen, PV and WBC count, compared to non-drinking and heavy drinking, even after adjustment for various potential confounders. CONCLUSIONS: Moderate consumption of either wine or beer is associated with lower levels of systemic inflammatory markers in three different European areas, suggesting that ethanol itself might be largely responsible for the potential anti-inflammatory effects of these beverages.
If some way can be found to inhibit high levels of CRP can be found - which is very likely, as it is a protein generated by an enzyme system which can be inhibited - this could be a great aid for prevention of heart disease as well as many other conditions that involve inflammation - bowel disease, periodonitis, arthritis, renal failure, and so on.
Bob Arctor