The New Heart Risk

The New Heart Risk
The key to living free of heart disease and even cancer is to reduce chronic inflammation

By: Jayne Keedle; Illustration: Mario WagnerPublished: November 2008 [ Updated: November 2008 ]


Eat the rainbow to calm the fire in your arteries. Numerous studies have linked inflammation to heart disease, DNA damage, diabetes, and cancer, but scientists weren't sure which came first, the illness or the inflammation. When researchers at the University of California at San Diego School of Medicine recently discovered that inflammation causes diabetes, they answered the chicken-and-egg question and hatched a new metric to measure wellness. Some physicians now recommend that people monitor inflammation, just as they do cholesterol, and take an active approach to preventing it. "If you reduce inflammation, you reduce the risk of death from a heart attack," says Steven Nissen, MD, chairman of the Cleveland Clinic's department of cardiovascular medicine. Part of the body's immune response, acute inflammation is the swelling and pain you get when you stub your toe; it's a sign that the body is working to heal the injury. "But when inflammation becomes chronic, the acute system doesn't shut off," explains Mark Miller, PhD, professor of cardiovascular science and pediatrics at Albany Medical College. "What follows is a constant war between damage and inadequate repair." Here's how to crush inflammation.

Test Your Levels
Ask your doctor for a high-sensitivity C-reactive protein blood test. A CRP level of greater than 1 mg/L means you're at risk for cardiovascular disease; greater than 3 mg/L puts you in the high-risk category. Take the test twice, a month apart, to ensure an accurate score.

Trim Belly Fat
"The best way to reduce CRP levels is to lose even modest amounts of abdominal fat," says Dr. Nissen. Use your waist-to-hip ratio to assess your risk. Measure your waist in inches around the belly button and divide that number by your hip measurement. A number higher than 0.9 means slim down.

Ration Omegas
Experts recommend a 4:1 ratio of omega-6 fatty acids to omega-3s. But the typical American diet has 11 to 30 times more omega-6s (in saturated fats such as corn, soy, canola, and sunflower oils) than omega-3s. Doctors advise consuming 1.8 grams of omega-3s a day. That's the equivalent of eating two servings a week of fatty fish such as wild salmon or trout.

Eat the Rainbow
The flavonoids found in brightly colored fruits and vegetables reduce inflammation. The most potent choices are blueberries, purple grapes, cherries, oranges, and sweet potatoes. Eat seven servings a week. Gorge on FiberA high-fiber diet (25 to 35 grams a day) can reduce CRP levels by as much as 14 percent, according to a recent study. Boost your fiber intake by eating more beans (especially lentils and black beans) and whole grains. Buckwheat and amaranth are good choices because they have no gluten.

Choose Beef Over Chicken
Chicken is high in arachidonic acid, a fatty acid that prompts the body to produce inflammatory chemicals, so opt for beef instead, says nutritionist Monica Reinagel, author of The Inflammation Free Diet Plan. Beef tenderloin contains half as much arachidonic acid, plus higher levels of selenium and zinc, nutrients that fight inflammation. Grass-fed beef is the best, because it has a 2:1 omega-6 to omega-3 ratio. (Corn-fed cattle have a 4:1 ratio.)

Spice Things Up
Eating 2 to 4 grams of ginger a day suppresses the molecules in the body that promote inflammation. Recent studies suggest that it works at the DNA level, turning off the genes that trigger inflammation.