In a newly published study, scientists found that the Pritikin® Program reduces C-reactive protein levels in women by 45%.* “No other diet-and-exercise program or drug therapy, including statins, has proven to lower C-reactive protein levels so dramatically – or so rapidly,” states Dr. James Barnard, UCLA Department of Physiological Science, one of the study’s authors.

Inflammation

High levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) in the blood often indicate inflammation in blood vessel walls. In the last five years, it has become increasingly clear that inflammation of the arteries is a major player in the development of heart disease.

High CRP levels may even be a better predictor of heart attacks than choles-terol levels, accord-ing to new research lead by Harvard professor Dr. Paul Ridker. “Certainly, when you combine CRP levels with LDL cholesterol levels, you get a better marker on heart attack risk than if you just used LDL alone,” notes Dr. Ridker.

Two weeks at Pritikin

In the new study on the Pritikin Program, published in the March 2004 medical journal Metabolism, Dr. Barnard and UCLA colleagues measured “entry” and “exit” blood levels of 20 women, ages 51 to 79 years, attending a two-week program at the Pritikin Longevity Center®. All had multiple risk factors for cardiovascular disease, including obesity, hypertension, and/or diabetes.

In just two weeks, C-reactive protein levels plunged, on average, 45%. There were also major reductions in LDL cholesterol (19%), total cholesterol (17%), insulin (26%), glucose (11%) and triglycerides (15%).

Rapid Decreases in CRP

Other dietary and weight loss programs have been shown to lower CRP, but over several months. “What’s particularly important about our new research is that health improvements happened almost immediately – within a matter of days,” states Dr. Barnard.
“In just 14 days, their risk of a heart attack plummeted.”

Statins

Preliminary research suggests that statin drugs may also lower CRP levels, but to a lesser degree (about 15 to 30%), and after several months, not two weeks. Moreover, experts recommend caution in prescribing statins to treat elevated CRP until more research is done because statins, like all drugs, carry risks.

How Arteries Become Inflamed

Arterial inflammation is a complex biological process. Here’s the simple, quick story: LDL cholesterol lodges itself in artery walls – and injures them. Like injuries elsewhere in the body, this stirs up an inflammatory response. It’s the body’s way of attempting to repair the damage. In swoops an army – cytokines, macrophages, and other “fighter” cells. They enlarge and transform LDL deposits into cholesterol-stuffed foam cells, which promote the growth of plaques in the artery wall.

Cholesterol Boils

Now comes the real problem. If you keep loading your arteries with cholesterol, the plaques grow and fester, like boils. And like boils, their caps are soft and tender, prone to rupture. When they burst, the plaque’s contents spew out. Clotting sets in, as it does anywhere in the body at the sight of open wounds. Sometimes, a massive clot forms, blocking oxygen flow to the heart. The result: a blocked artery and a heart attack.

Anti-inflammatory Foods

Scientists are not sure why the Pritikin Program reduces inflammation, but fruits and vegetables, plentiful on the Pritikin Eating Plan, have been demonstrated to possess anti-inflammatory activities. And certainly, curtailing your saturated fat and trans fatty acid consumption will curtail the LDL build-up in your artery walls.

The exercise component of the Pritikin Program may also contribute to reduced CRP levels, as higher levels of physical activity are associated with reduced inflammation.

Another big unknown is whether lowering CRP levels will actually lower heart attack risk. Studies are currently underway, but right now scientists aren’t sure whether it’s the lower CRP or lifestyle changes motivated by a high CRP – like weight loss, lower blood pressure, and lower cholesterol – that cut risk.

Getting Your CRP Tested

Though scientists still have much to learn about the precise role of CRP in causing heart attacks, it’s a good idea to get your CRP tested. If it’s high, lowering it seems a wise move. CRP testing is now part of standard blood testing at the Pritikin Longevity Center. The test is not a replacement for traditional cholesterol and blood tests, but knowing your CRP could help you get a more accurate assessment of your overall risk of suffering a heart attack over the next several years.

Plus, it’s very simple to understand. The test results come back as one single number. “3 mg/L” or higher puts you at high risk, between “1” and “3” is moderate risk, and less than “1” is low risk. In the Pritikin study, CRP dropped from 2.6 to 1.4 in just two weeks.

CRP testing might be especially helpful for the millions of Americans who have below-average cholesterol levels and think, as a result, that their risk of a heart attack or stroke must also be very low.

But the fact is: about 30% of fatal heart attacks occur in people who have what doctors call a “desirable” cholesterol level. That’s why scientists are searching for additional factors like CRP. They’re hopeful that testing inflammatory factors like CRP might “capture” people who are now slipping through the sieve of cholesterol screening.

CRP testing might be of particular benefit to women. A recently published study from Harvard University on 28,000 women found that those with the highest CRP levels (4 and higher) were twice as likely to suffer heart problems as those with high LDL (over 154).

Beyond Estrogen Therapy

To lower heart attack risk, millions of women are currently searching for answers. For good reason. Heart disease is the #1 killer of women over 50, and hormone replacement therapy is no longer a solution. Results from the Women’s Health Initiative in 2002 found that hormone replacement therapy raises rather than lowers heart attack risk.

“There is an ever-increasing need for drug-free, lifestyle-based alternatives, like the Pritikin Program, that have been proven to reduce multiple cardiovascular risk factors safely and effectively,” says Dr. Barnard.

And there is an ever-increasing respect in the scientific community for the enduring power of lifestyle changes. “Statins have put a pharmaceutical face on heart disease prevention,” recently noted the Harvard Heart Letter, “but the old truths about getting exercise, eating right, and not smoking still hold. If the CRP test gets more people to follow that advice, then it may be worthwhile.”

* Metabolism, 2004; Volume 53.