What does my CRP value (inflammation) say about my heart?

A high hsCRP value is a serious warning sign for your heart. In a long-running study of nearly 28,000 initially healthy women followed over 30 years, women with the highest hsCRP values were 70% more likely to experience a first serious cardiovascular event than women with the lowest values¹. Notably, hsCRP was a slightly stronger predictor than LDL cholesterol or Lp(a).

CRP does not simply track alongside cholesterol. Three large cohort studies, including the UK Biobank, showed that Lp(a) and hsCRP raise risk through two entirely separate pathways². A high Lp(a) increases your risk regardless of whether your CRP is low or high, and vice versa. Looking at cholesterol alone therefore gives an incomplete picture.

CRP itself probably does not cause the damage; it signals a deeper underlying inflammatory process. The substance that prompts the liver to produce CRP is called IL-6. Studies and genetic research both indicate that high IL-6 levels are directly associated with greater cardiovascular mortality, heart attacks, strokes, and heart failure³. An elevated CRP therefore shows that this system is overactive.

Have you already had your cholesterol treated, but does your hsCRP remain high? If so, cardiovascular risk persists. Colchicine is currently the only approved medication that specifically targets this chronic low-grade inflammation⁴. Discuss this 'residual risk' with your doctor if your situation resembles this.

In the area of lifestyle, there is moderate evidence that a low glycaemic index diet lowers CRP. A meta-analysis of 29 studies in people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes showed a statistically significant, though modest, reduction in CRP, alongside improvements in blood sugar, cholesterol, and blood pressure⁵. The researchers themselves rated the certainty as 'moderate'. Not a miracle cure, then, but a logical step if your CRP is elevated and you have diabetes.