Inflammation much greater risk than cholesterol

[MarkS]

I read an article in New Scientist which reported on research into heart attacks and strokes:

newscientist.com/article/23...

It found that inflammation was a much greater risk of heart disease than cholesterol. They used CRP as a measure of inflammation. They found that those with highest quarter of CRP had 268% higher risk of dying from CV disease than the lowest quarter. By contrast, having high cholesterol only raised the risk by 27%.

A number of us have known this for some time, but it's good to see the figures. Statins work because they reduce inflammation, not because they reduce cholesterol. I believe this also applies to AF.

There is a drug which does reduce inflammation: colchicine, which is used in the treatment of gout. I would be interested to know whether anyone on this board who takes colchicine for other reasons has noticed an effect on their AF.

This is a link to the original article: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/368...

Mark

[BobD Volunteer]

As always Mark very interesting.

[CDreamer]

I take Resveratrol as anti-inflammatory - keeps my CRP levels down, I get tested every 12 weeks. I do know someone who took colchicine for gout & has AF but haven’t spoken to them for a while though, if I see them I will ask.

I am so pleased that it is becoming much more recognised that cholesterol is not the big baddy we were led to believe it was and that much more research going into inappropriate inflammation.

[Maggimunro in reply to CDreamer]

Thanks to you CDreamer I have been taking resveratrol for over a year now.

I was never convinced by the statins/ cholesterol hype and dodgy early reasearch funded by the large sugar corporations. Also the side effects of statins for me were just unacceptable.

[mjames1]

Yes, this has been floated around for some time and in fact, some argue that the benefits of statins may be that they are anti-inflammatory in nature, as opposed to their other actions on LDL, etc. So much we have learned and so much still to learn.

Jim

[OzJames]

That’s interesting I met with my cardiologist on Friday and showed him my blood test results and asked why did my GP add ESR for the first time. He said that it shows if the red blood cells form clumps by sticking together and settle quickly thus possibly indicating inflammation. It is one of the tools amongst other things that can assist in predicting cardiac issues. It sounds like the CRP is even a better indicator of inflammation. Fortunately mine was at the lower end of the normal range

Thanks for the post!

[mike1961]

From my reading over the years I've concluded that homocysteine is arguably an even better inflammation marker than CRP.

The whole cholesterol thing has always been well overblown for years.

[wilsond]

Wow that's pretty clear evidence! Thanks for sharing

[Ppiman]

Thanks for that link. I had missed that article. The anti-inflammatory effcts of statins are also being studies. Also, from the authors (since your post has raised some anti-statin comments):

"Many large trials have found that statins are very effective at reducing heart attacks, reinforcing the cholesterol theory of heart disease."

It seems great care when taking colchicine with a statin is needed owing to interactivity causing a risk of liver and muscle issues. Statins are, I would think, significantly safer than colchicine?

Steve

[2learn]

Hi, not clear what you mean by inflamation. Inflamation of what/where. I have arthritis and have joint inflamation constantly. As for colchicine, I've had it as a temporary 5 days fix for gout, but I thought it was never given long term cos of side effects.

[Countrydweller2 in reply to 2learn]

Cider vinegar and a good olive oil cured my hubby's gout, it's also vastly improved my arthritis.

[Cookie24 in reply to Countrydweller2]

How do you use? How much do you take?

[Countrydweller2 in reply to Cookie24]

First thing in the morning I take a dessert spn of organic cider vinegar with the mother in a drop of water, followed by a spoonful of a good olive oil from a dark bottle. I think we took it 2 or 3 times a day back then. I've just started back on it after about ten years pain free so experimenting with the dosing myself.

[Countrydweller2 in reply to Countrydweller2]

On reflection it may have been tablespoon not dessertspoon... going to up mine now.

[MarkS in reply to Countrydweller2]

I have EV olive oil (about 25ml+) and about 5ml of cider vinegar+mother as a salad dressing every day. It really spices up the salad which would be a bit boring otherwise.

[CDreamer in reply to 2learn]

Chronic inflammation is very common with many conditions and especially sufferers of AF. Inflammation within the heart structure and blood vessels, if you read the article, are thought to be major causes of heart issues.

A good anti-inflammatory diet including any food high in polyphenols helps, including cider vinegar (as long as it comes from the mother and is not processed), olive oil, green leafy veg, many herbs and spices such as Turmeric, garlic, cinnamon and the list goes on. Main thing is to avoid processed and especially ultra processed foods.

My God Mother took a tablespoon of Cider Vinegar, squeeze of lemon and teaspoon of honey in a mug filled with hot water every day of her life. She never had a cold nor suffered from osteoarthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis is of course a different story and normally treated with steroids or the newer biologicals and not for self remedies.

[flecathletics]

So wouldn’t an anti- inflammatory such as ibuprofen help?

[2learn in reply to flecathletics]

not supposed to take them if you have Afib or heart probs

[CDreamer in reply to flecathletics]

Known cause of AF

[pusillanimous in reply to CDreamer]

Bad for kidneys too, I believe .

[Peony4575]

colchicine is an anti inflammatory . It works differently than other anti inflammatories such as Celecoxib . Tends to be short term use in gout when there is a flare up. Tends to have a worse side effect profile diarrhoea being one of the highlights . Given that an anti inflammatory caused AF personally I steer clear of them

[Cabot]

Very intriguing!

I wonder if anti-inflammatory properties are (part) of the reason other interventions help with afib. I think it was OzJames who just posted about vitamin D and CoQ10, both of which dial down inflammation apparently.

[pusillanimous in reply to Cabot]

You are supposed to take CoQ10 enzyme with statins, at least that's my doctor's instruction.

[alfrae13]

In the US the FDA just approved LODOCO which is cholchisine for treatment as an anti-inflammatory for people who have atherosclerosis