Hello,
Well, this is the story. CardioCRP is a good test to use to determine one's risk for
heart disease. However, this test can also be elevated due to inflammation from other causes such as arthritis.
Using statins to lower CRP is an effective strategy, however, I don't see any other heart disease risk factors since your
cholesterol is 150 mg/dl, way below the optimal level of 180 mg/dl.
Without having your
lipid profile to see if there are elevated LDLs, Triglycerides, have
high blood pressure or any other conditions that might affect either your heart or your
inflammatory markers or both, it is difficult to tell you what you should be doing with your diet.
These are the risk factors physicians look at in deciding to use a statin in conjunction with a high CardioCRP:
A previous
heart attack or stroke.
A family history of heart disease.
Elevated total and LDLcholesterol levels.
Low HDL level.
High blood pressure.
Being male or a post-menopausal woman.
Cigarette smoker.
Uncontrolled diabetes or high blood pressure.
Physical inactivity.
Obesity or being overweight.
For now, follow an overall heart healthy diet such as the Mediterrean Diet, to decrease saturated fats, limit added sugars, increase fiber, increase the use of good fats, lower your sodium intake to 2300 mg/day and get 150 minutes -250 minutes of exercise per week.
When you see your doctor ask why you are being put on a statin and what your heart risk factors are and a diet order.What I am getting at is if your CRP is high due to inflammation you should be addressing the inflammation. If it is high due to predictive aspects for heart disease, you need to know what risk factors your doctor identified to choose to put you on a statin. One must treat the root of the problem, not the lab result.
Thank you for asking this question. Regards, Kathryn J. Shattler, MS,RDN