A blood test for protein linked to inflammation proved to be a better predictor of heart attacks and strokes than screening for "bad" LDL cholesterol, a New England Journal of Medicine study has shown. The test measures c-reactive protein (CRP), a molecule pumped out by the liver in response to inflammation. ...

A pill widely used to fight diabetes may also prevent some of the most devastating complications of the condition -- heart attacks and stroke. In a study of 357 Type II diabetics, scientists found that rosiglitazone (Avandia by GlaxoSmithKline) lowered blood levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), molecules ...

In a refinement of the way health care providers are looking at the obesity explosion in this country, doctors are using the term “metabolic syndrome” or “Syndrome X” to describe a condition in which several factors combine to undermine cardiovascular health. It is “a constellation of symptoms which represent near extraordinary ...