Could Losing Weight Work as Well as a Statin?

As you know, I’ve found that inflammation—not cholesterol—is the real smoking gun in heart disease. Recently, a team of researchers, including the doctor who first linked heart disease to inflammation, has shown that weight loss in overweight or obese individuals reduces inflammation.

Specifically, the group found that caloric-reduction diets generated a drop in C-reactive protein (CRP) that is similar to statins!

CRP is a nonspecific marker of inflammation and has been implicated in many chronic diseases. CRP has a strong correlation with fat tissue, particularly belly fat. Statin drugs, which are used for lowering cholesterol also have a significant anti-inflammatory effect and have been documented to lower CRP by 20 to 40 percent. In a this new research, weight loss diets reduced CRP by about 25%.

So I ask, why would anyone use a statin if you can reduce CRP with weight loss? Fat cells are a major source for inflammation. If you eliminate their “home,” and lower CRP, you simultaneously lessen your risk of cardiovascular disease.

Now it’s your turn: Have you found that weight loss lowered your CRP?