How C-reactive protein outpaced 'bad' cholesterol as leading heart disease risk marker

[marmar]

How C-reactive protein outpaced ‘bad’ cholesterol as leading heart disease risk marker
Published: December 19, 2025 8:20am EST

Mary J. Scourboutakos
Adjunct Assistant Professor in Family and Community Medicine, Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at Old Dominion University


(The Conversation) Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States.

Since researchers first established the link between diet, cholesterol and heart disease in the 1950s, risk for heart disease has been partly assessed based on a patient’s cholesterol levels, which can be routinely measured via blood work at the doctor’s office.

However, accumulating evidence over the past two decades demonstrates that a biomarker called C-reactive protein – which signals the presence of low-grade inflammation – is a better predictor of risk for heart disease than cholesterol.

....(snip)....

What is C-reactive protein?

C-reactive protein is created by the liver in response to infections, tissue damage, chronic inflammatory states from conditions like autoimmune diseases, and metabolic disturbances like obesity and diabetes. Essentially, it is a marker of inflammation – meaning immune system activation – in the body.

....(snip)....

Research shows that C-reactive protein is a better predictive marker for heart attacks and strokes than “bad,” or LDL cholesterol, short for low-density lipoprotein, as well as another commonly measured genetically inherited biomarker called lipoprotein(a). One study found that C-reactive protein can predict heart disease just as well as blood pressure can. ................(more)

https://theconversation.com/how-c-reactive-protein-outpaced-bad-cholesterol-as-leading-heart-disease-risk-marker-271143