You probably already know that high cholesterol and blood pressure are major risk factors for heart disease. 但是你知道炎症吗? 最近的研究表明，它起着关键作用, and that working to reduce it can prevent 心脏病s and 中风s.

“就像我们针对血压一样, 胆固醇和血糖, 我们还需要针对炎症,” Erin Michos, M.D., M.H.S., associate director of preventive cardiology for the Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Heart Disease. “We all should be making an effort to reduce chronic inflammation in our bodies.”

To protect your heart from the damaging effects of inflammation, here’s what you need to know.

研究指向炎症

二十年前, researchers discovered that high levels of inflammation were associated with an increased chance of having a 心脏病 or 中风. 然而, what they didn’t know was whether anti-inflammatory treatments could prevent those events from occurring.

In 2008, the JUPITER study found that for older adults who did not have elevated blood cholesterol but who did have elevated blood levels of inflammatory markers, treatment with cholesterol-lowering statin drugs reduced the number of 心脏病s and 中风s. But it wasn’t clear whether that was because statins reduced inflammation or because they further lowered bad cholesterol, 因为两者都有.

然而, a recent clinical trial called CANTOS studied an injectable antibody type of anti-inflammatory drug in people who had a prior 心脏病 and who also had elevated inflammatory markers despite statin treatment. This landmark study finally proved that targeting inflammation without changing cholesterol levels can have a significant impact. People treated with the novel anti-inflammatory treatment reduced their likelihood of subsequent 心脏病s or 中风s by 15 percent. It also decreased the need for major interventions such as angioplasty and bypass surgery by 30 percent, proving that addressing inflammation to prevent heart disease is essential. Additional studies are now looking at whether older, cheaper medications taken by mouth (colchine and methotrexate) can have similar heart protection benefits.

炎症在心脏病中的作用

Inflammation is part of your body’s immune response to an illness or injury. When you have a wound or an infection, inflammation helps fight off germs and facilitates healing. Buildup of cholesterol and other substances in your arteries (called plaques or 动脉粥样硬化)也会引发炎症反应.

“For short-term conditions, inflammation is helpful,” explains Michos. “But sustained low levels of inflammation irritate your blood vessels. Inflammation may promote the growth of plaques, loosen plaque in your arteries and trigger blood clots — the primary cause of 心脏病s and 中风s.”

When a blood clot blocks an artery to the heart, you have a 心脏病. If the blood clot blocks an artery to the brain, the result is a 中风.

消炎生活方式的改变

“The good news is that you can control inflammation by avoiding factors that activate your body’s inflammatory response,米克斯说. ”,, these same lifestyle choices decrease bad cholesterol, lower blood pressure and reduce high blood sugar, 太.”

Here’s what you can do to reduce inflammation:

• 戒烟: Smoking damages your blood vessels and promotes 动脉粥样硬化. By quitting, you can cut your heart disease risk in half.
• 保持健康的体重: Being overweight increases your risk for multiple diseases. But carrying excess fat around your belly is a red flag for heart disease risk. A type of fat that accumulates in the belly (called visceral fat) secretes a molecule that causes inflammation.
• 增加活动: Exercising for as little as 20 minutes a day can decrease inflammation. You don’t have to do an intense sweat session: Moderate workouts, 比如快走, 是有效的.
• 吃有益心脏健康的饮食: 加工食品和快餐食品会引起炎症. Whole foods, on the other hand, are anti-inflammatory. Eat more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts and fatty fish. 

Chronic inflammation doesn’t produce symptoms — the only way to measure it is with a blood test, and most people aren’t regularly screened for inflammation. Making healthy lifestyle choices is the best way to lower that risk factor, although doctors may also prescribe a statin drug for those with a higher risk of heart disease. Your doctor can determine your risk level and what next steps are most appropriate for you.