From: Robert J. Bradbury (bradbury@aeiveos.com)
Date: Sun Aug 04 2002 - 13:15:59 MDT
The Seattle Times today suggests that low grade inflammation
may be a more significant risk factor with respect to heart
disease than cholesterol levels.
Inflammation is new culprit in heart attacks
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/134506626_cardiac040.html
Inflammation can be measured with an inexpensive test that
measures the amount of C-reactive protein (CRP).
My suspicion is that cholesterol levels above that which antioxidant
defenses can comfortably deal with leads to higher levels of oxidized
cholesterol that generates inflammation. (Macrophages have receptors
for oxidized cholesterol and may be activating an inflammatory response
to it).
The article says, "As a result, many people ordinarily considered at
low risk will probably be put on statin drugs, which lower inflammation
as well as cholesterol." Statin drugs do not have any direct
anti-inflammatory effects that I'm aware of. My supposition would
be that they lower total cholesterol, therefore lowering the amount
of cholesterol that can be oxidized, therefore lowering the inflammatory
response to oxidized cholesterol. But an alternate therapy would
be to raise the levels of antioxidants that can combat cholesterol
oxidation (Vitamin E being perhaps a strong candidate). We need
studies to see if antioxidant consumption reduces CRP levels
to the same extent or better than more expensive statin drugs.
Robert
P.S. In pursuing this, I did run across a Globe article that did have
a brief mention of the William's family legal disagreements:
Judge chides lawyers for Williams siblings on accusations:
http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/212/nation/Judge_chides_lawyers_for_Williams_siblings_on_accusations+.shtml
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