February 2008
Control inflammation
Inflammation is usually part of the body's healthy response to injury or infection. The immune system rushes white blood cells
and other substances to a threatened site, causing temporary, protective inflammation—redness, heat, swelling, and sometimes
pain—as those substances battle the germs or repair the tissue damage.
But sometimes, in diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, multiple sclerosis, and psoriasis, the immune system goes awry and attacks healthy tissue, triggering low-grade chronic inflammation.
Research suggests that people with such autoimmune disorders have a higher risk of heart disease. Moreover, heart disease itself may stem in part from the same misguided immune reaction. (Inflammation appears to increase the risk of heart disease by damaging the artery linings and speeding the growth of artery-clogging, clot-forming plaque deposits.)
And inflammation can result not only from disease, but also from infection, heartburn, and even stress.
Here’s what you can do to limit inflammation’s potential risk to your heart health:
Determine your risk
While chronic inflammation usually produces few obvious symptoms, a simple blood test for a substance called C-reactive protein (CRP) can help detect it.
Reign in infection
Research hints that a bacterium known as H.pylori, as well as bugs that cause periodontal disease, influenza, pneumonia, and the sexually transmitted disease chlamydia, may increase the risk of heart disease. So it makes sense to protect yourself against those and other infections.
Eat less, exercise more
Simply digesting your food seems to trigger temporary inflammation—and the bigger the meal, the higher the CRP level climbs. Excess weight worsens the problem, since fat cells, especially around the gut, produce inflammatory proteins. That helps explain the strong link between abdominal obesity and heart disease.
On the plus side, exercise generates inflammation-fighting proteins. And people who lose weight—by cutting back on calories, exercising more, or both—tend to lower their CRP level.
For more advice, click Lose extra pounds and Stay active and fit.
Choose the right foods
Research has documented the potential anti-inflammatory power of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and omega-3 fatty acids. So:
Tame stress and depression
The CRP level and other markers of inflammation rise after stressful events and may be consistently elevated in people who experience chronic stress, loneliness, or, as an Israeli study found, constant fear. Other research has linked depression with elevated CRP levels.
For advice, click Control stress.
Protect against irritants
Inhaling cigarette smoke, asbestos, and silica can irritate the lungs, and unprotected exposure to sunlight can harm the skin. And excessive alcohol consumption can inflame the pancreas, possibly leading to diabetes. (Moderate drinking has been linked with lower CRP levels.)
But sometimes, in diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, multiple sclerosis, and psoriasis, the immune system goes awry and attacks healthy tissue, triggering low-grade chronic inflammation.
Research suggests that people with such autoimmune disorders have a higher risk of heart disease. Moreover, heart disease itself may stem in part from the same misguided immune reaction. (Inflammation appears to increase the risk of heart disease by damaging the artery linings and speeding the growth of artery-clogging, clot-forming plaque deposits.)
And inflammation can result not only from disease, but also from infection, heartburn, and even stress.
Here’s what you can do to limit inflammation’s potential risk to your heart health:
Determine your risk
While chronic inflammation usually produces few obvious symptoms, a simple blood test for a substance called C-reactive protein (CRP) can help detect it.
Reign in infection
Research hints that a bacterium known as H.pylori, as well as bugs that cause periodontal disease, influenza, pneumonia, and the sexually transmitted disease chlamydia, may increase the risk of heart disease. So it makes sense to protect yourself against those and other infections.
- Talk with your doctor about getting vaccinated against influenza, pneumonia, hepatitis B, and, if you're a woman, HPV.
- If you have ulcer symptoms or a personal or family history of stomach cancer, get tested for H.pylori; if you test positive,
get treated.
- Practice good dental hygiene
- Take steps to avoid or treat sexually transmitted diseases.
Simply digesting your food seems to trigger temporary inflammation—and the bigger the meal, the higher the CRP level climbs. Excess weight worsens the problem, since fat cells, especially around the gut, produce inflammatory proteins. That helps explain the strong link between abdominal obesity and heart disease.
On the plus side, exercise generates inflammation-fighting proteins. And people who lose weight—by cutting back on calories, exercising more, or both—tend to lower their CRP level.
For more advice, click Lose extra pounds and Stay active and fit.
Choose the right foods
Research has documented the potential anti-inflammatory power of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and omega-3 fatty acids. So:
- Substitute whole grains for refined ones, and foods rich in unsaturated fat, such as olive and canola oil, for those high
in saturated or trans fat.
- Eat at least five servings a day of produce
- Consume fish (or a modest fish-oil supplement) regularly—particularly low-mercury species such as flounder, pollock, scallops,
shrimp, sole, and salmon.
- For more advice, click Eat a heart-healthy diet.
The CRP level and other markers of inflammation rise after stressful events and may be consistently elevated in people who experience chronic stress, loneliness, or, as an Israeli study found, constant fear. Other research has linked depression with elevated CRP levels.
For advice, click Control stress.
Protect against irritants
Inhaling cigarette smoke, asbestos, and silica can irritate the lungs, and unprotected exposure to sunlight can harm the skin. And excessive alcohol consumption can inflame the pancreas, possibly leading to diabetes. (Moderate drinking has been linked with lower CRP levels.)
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