Half of all heart attacks and strokes occur in people with normal cholesterol levels - a phenomenon that has long baffled doctors. C-Reactive Protein, or CRP, is a newly discovered measure of inflammation in the body that some researchers believe is twice as important as cholesterol in predicting one's risk of heart disease. C-REACTIVE PROTEIN is the first comprehensive consumer book on the subject.

C-REACTIVE PROTEIN

For Immediate Release

 

 

November 5/03: Janice didn't deserve it.  The 36-year-old mother of two didn't smoke. She didn't have high blood pressure.  She didn't have diabetes or high cholesterol.  But she did have a heart attack - a big one.  Janice's emergency room physician found she had normal cholesterol levels, but very high levels of C-Reactive Protein in her blood. 

 

Why do half of all heart attacks and strokes occur in people with normal cholesterol levels?  Even if you've lowered your cholesterol, you may still be at high risk for cardiovascular disease if your C-reactive protein levels - or CRP - are high.  This newly discovered measure of inflammation in the body is being hailed as twice as important as cholesterol in predicting your risk of heart disease.  A high CRP level can accurately predict future heart problems, even among otherwise low-risk patients, such as those who don't smoke and who have normal cholesterol and blood pressure, no family history of heart disease, and no diabetes.  CRP has multiple, independent effects that cause heart disease.  The good news is that C-Reactive Protein levels can be decreased through proper diet, exercise, weight loss, and healthy habits, the same way cholesterol levels can also be reversed.

 

C-REACTIVE PROTEIN provides the reader with vital information about this recent medical discovery.  Learn how this protein attacks plaque that accumulates in the arteries and can in turn cause clots - and how you can lower CRP levels with the help of this groundbreaking guide.

 

Readers should ask the following to determine whether you should be tested for CRP levels:

 

If they answer "no" to each of these questions, exercise regularly, and eat a well-balanced diet, they can probably assume that they're not at risk.  But even one "yes" can significantly increase the risk for a heart attack or stroke. 

 

The Women's Health Study was a landmark study in cardiology, surveying over 28,000 healthy females.  Ten different markets of blood vessel health were compared to each other for predicting future events such as heart attack, stroke, and sudden death - the clear winner: CRP.

 

The important observation from these large research trials is that CRP uncovers a segment of the population at risk for these events that cholesterol screening does not.  By combining CRP, total cholesterol and HDL-cholesterol, you have a very sensitive tool for knowing who is at significant overall risk. 

 

This is the first comprehensive consumer book that fully explains the role of CRP and lays out a clear, step-by-step program to help readers take full control of their cardiovascular health.

 

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For publicity or to arrange an interview with the authors, please contact Doug Blair at 905-430-5134 or by email at dougb@mcgrawhill.ca