Diet and Supplements Lower Levels of C-Reactive Protein, Inflammation | | By Jack Challem - The Nutrition Reporter
|  A recent article in the New England Journal of Medicine
touted the benefits of statin drugs, such as Lipitor, for
lowering levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker
and promoter of inflammation. But dietary changes and
supplements work just as well as drugs -- and without
side effects -- according to several recent studies.
Helene Jacques, PhD, of Laval University, Quebec,
Canada, and her colleagues asked 19 middle-aged men
and women to consume a diet with cod (fish) as their
primary source of protein for four weeks. All of the subjects
were overweight and insulin resistant.
They were then switched to a diet in which they
consumed lean beef, pork, eggs, and dairy products for
four weeks. Both diets were essentially the same in fiber
and monounsaturated fat, polyunsaturated fat, and
saturated fat.
The high-cod diet led to a 25 percent decrease in
CRP levels, whereas the other diet tended to increase
CRP levels.
Cod protein tends to be low in omega-3 fats, suggesting
that the benefits were from the protein. Jacques
wrote that "insulin-resistant individuals could benefit
from including dietary cod protein in their diets."
In another study Ahmad Esmaillzadeh, PhD, of
Isfahan University, Iran, analyzed the dietary consumption
of fats of 486 women and the relationship of
specific dietary fats to inflammation.
He found that women consuming the most partially-
hydrogenated vegetable oils (the principal source of
trans fats) had much higher levels of several markers of
inflammation compared with women who consumed
few or no hydrogenated vegetable oils.
Women consuming the most hydrogenated vegetable
oils had 45 percent higher levels of CRP, 66
percent higher levels of tumor necrosis factor alpha,
and 72 percent higher levels of interleukin-6 compared
with women who consumed little or no hydrogenated
vegetable oils.
In a third study, Gladys Block, PhD, of the University
of California, Berkeley, and her colleagues asked 396
healthy nonsmoking men and women to take 1,000 mg
of vitamin C, 800 IU of vitamin E, or placebos daily for
two months. Most of the subjects in the study had low
CRP levels to start, although obese subjects tended to
have higher levels compared with thin subjects.
Vitamin C reduced CRP levels by 25 percent.
Although vitamin E did not lower CRP levels in this
study, several other studies have found that it does
lower CRP levels.
References: Ouellet V, Weisnagel J, Marois J, et al.
"Dietary cod protein reduces plasma C-reactive protein
in insulin-resistant men and women." Journal of
Nutrition, 2008;138: 2386-2391. Esmaillzadeh A,
Azadbakht L. "Home use of vegetable oils, markers
of systemic inflammation, and endothelial
function among women." American Journal of
Clinical Nutrition, 2008;88:913-921. Block G,
Jensen CD, Dalvi TB, et al. "Vitamin C treatment
reduces elevated C-reactive protein." Free Radical
Biology & Medicine, 2008; epub ahead of print.
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