Vitamin Supplementation Lowers C-Reactive Protein Levels
Dallas
TX, 16 December 2003
A
study published this month in The American Journal of Medicine
states that an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease,
C-reactive protein (CRP), can be reduced by simply consuming a multivitamin.
The study, led by Timothy Church, MD, MPH, PhD, vice president of
research at The Cooper Institute, showed that a group taking a 24-ingredient
multivitamin reduced its CRP level by 32 percent. The greatest reductions
in CRP were found in individuals with elevated baseline values.
CRP
has been identified as an important predictor of future heart disease,
but there has been limited proven therapeutic means to reduce CRP.
Though in need of confirmation by other studies, the finding that
a multivitamin improves CRP provides a low cost, safe and widely
acceptable option for reducing CRP.
"While
there is still a lot to be understood about C-reactive protein and
its relationship with heart disease," said Church, "it is reaffirming
to know that taking a multivitamin could significantly improve an
important cardiovascular disease risk factor."
The
study was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial conducted
over six months using the multivitamin supplement Cooper Complete,
a formulation developed by Kenneth H. Cooper, MD, MPH, and leading
researchers. Sixty-seven percent of the study population was male
and due to fluctuating levels of CRP during the menstrual cycle,
the remaining 33 percent was composed of postmenopausal women. The
individuals ranged in age from 30 to 70.
About
the Study
Timothy
S. Church, MD, MPH, PhD; Conrad P. Earnest, PhD; Kherrin A. Wood,
MS; and James B. Kampert, PhD. "Reduction of C-Reactive Protein
Levels Through Use of a Multivitamin." Elsevier: The American
Journal of Medicine, Volume 115, Number 9.
About
the Cooper Institute
The
Cooper Institute is the nonprofit division of The Cooper Aerobics
Center and focuses on preventive medicine research and health education,
promotion and certification. Areas of research include epidemiology,
exercise physiology, behavior change, cancer prevention, children's
health, obesity, nutrition, aging, diabetes, hypertension, weight
management, health communication and other health issues. Certification
and training courses are delivered to more than 6,500 health and
fitness professionals each year.
Source
The
Cooper Institute (www.cooperinst.org).
|