Do you know that coronary heart illness and osteoporosis are carefully linked — to such an extent that it’s been instructed these with coronary heart illness needs to be screened for osteoporosis and vice versa? In line with rising science, the 2 circumstances are tied collectively by one main issue— irritation.

In order that’s why, for February Coronary heart Well being Month, I’m recommending you acquire one easy blood take a look at that’s able to detecting runaway irritation and its associated antioxidant deficit—the C-Reactive Protein (CRP) take a look at. The truth is, some authorities counsel that the high-sensitivity CRP take a look at may predict the chance of creating severe coronary heart illness (and different continual sicknesses) years upfront (He et al. 2010; Li et al. 2017).

What’s C-reactive protein?

C-Reactive Protein (CRP) is produced within the liver in response to irritation; its job within the physique is to connect itself to phosphocholine (a chemical produced by each microbes and cells which are dying) to “flag” the undesirable cells for the immune system to take away.

If there’s an precise an infection or damage current, irritation and the ensuing excessive CRP aren’t such a foul factor — you need your immune system to be activated so it could discover and eradicate micro organism or lifeless and injured tissue — however in coronary heart illness and different continual sicknesses, the excessive degree of CRP indicators continuous irritation that doesn’t go away.

You may bear in mind a 2004 TIME journal cowl story alerting the general public to the clear hyperlink between irritation and coronary heart illness. That was when elevated CRP was first understood for its position within the improvement of continual irritation (Rifai and Ridker 2001). It was linked not solely to coronary heart illness, but in addition to diabetes, stroke, metabolic syndrome, and lots of different severe, long-term sicknesses — together with osteoporosis.

There are dozens of research which have checked out CRP ranges in people with low bone density and osteoporosis they usually have discovered a transparent relationship between excessive CRP and weak or skinny bones (Ganesan et al. 2005; de Pablo et al. 2012). Apparently, there was a larger relationship between bone weak point and CRP than bone density.  One research (Schett et al. 2006) concluded that “hs-CRP degree is a major and impartial danger predictor of non-traumatic fracture. This discovering is in keeping with the speculation of a good interaction between low-grade irritation and bone turnover.” And the place osteoporosis coexists with different inflammatory circumstances, like emphysema, CRP highlights that affiliation too (Samaria and Bhatia 2015).

C-Reactive Protein is such an vital marker that I even embody it on my Medical Checks for Osteoporosis work up that I give to all my purchasers. You possibly can study extra about these exams and their which means in my Osteo Lab Checks On-line Course .

Reducing elevated CRP ranges

• So now that we all know elevated CRP is a pink flag for each your bones and your cardiovascular well being, what can we do about it? Fortunately, most of the suggestions I provide for bone well being additionally assist scale back irritation and decrease CRP.

• Eat an Alkaline for Life weight-reduction plan targeted on complete meals and full of colourful fruits, berries, veggies, nuts, and seeds — and darkish chocolate. By doing so, you’ll enhance your consumption of antioxidants, similar to vitamin C, quercetin dihydrate, alpha lipoic acid, selenium, and curcumin, in addition to the fat-soluble nutritional vitamins A, D, E, and Ok, and vital minerals similar to magnesium.

• Remove sugar, fried and processed meals, and scale back alcohol — all of those encourage irritation.

• Train has been discovered to decrease CRP ranges and strengthen bone on the identical time. Aware workout routines like tai chi and yoga might be useful for folks simply beginning out — they usually assist decrease stress ranges, which not surprisingly are additionally related to larger CRP and irritation.

• Relaxation! Getting inadequate sleep has been proven to extend irritation and CRP ranges. (And no, taking a nap gained’t do the trick. You want your eight hours at evening.)

I encourage you to study extra about holding your coronary heart and bones wholesome, together with the wonderful advantages that vitamin K2 presents your coronary heart and your bones. Learn my weblog — Is vitamin K2 your physique’s finest buddy? — for extra.