How to reduce CRP levels?

In the field of pathology, C-reactive protein has been an exceptionally useful biomarker for several diseases. Primarily a biomarker that is used to detect increased inflammation in the body, the C-reactive protein is particularly useful in diagnosing cardiovascular disease, acute infections, chronic health conditions, chronic inflammation, cancers, and autoimmune disorders like rheumatic arthritis and lupus.

Reducing Your CRP levels

Now that you know the cause of an elevated CRP level, you would want to know how to lower your CRP levels

Lowering your C-reactive protein (CRP) levels requires a holistic approach. Your doctor would recommend certain dietary and lifestyle changes along with medications to help achieve desirable CRP levels.

Apart from infections and other health conditions that are risk factors for high CRP, your lifestyle and habits are primarily responsible for raising those CRP levels, and therefore making healthier choices is mandatory.

Management of elevated CRP levels

Improving your diet and lifestyle by eating anti-inflammatory foods, regularly exercising, and having adequate sleep has proven beneficial in lowering CRP levels.

Exercise and a healthy diet and lifestyle have been established solutions to lowering your CRPs. At least a 30min walk each day is necessary to bring about some anti-inflammatory changes in your body.

Dietary Changes

You may want to eat fresh foods instead of processed and canned food items that you must completely avoid.

Some of the food items that can considerably lower CRP levels include:

• Fruits like strawberries, avocados, tomatoes, blueberries, and oranges.

• Vegetables like kale, spinach, kale,

• Legumes like beans, soybeans

• Nuts like almonds, walnuts

• Oils like canola oil, olive oil, grape seed oil

• Vitamin E and niacin (vitamin B3) supplements also help to lower your serum CRP levels.

Omega fats are great for people with increased inflammation and raised CRP production. You may want to reduce saturated and trans fats and increase your consumption of unsaturated fats like omega 3 and 6.

Depending on your health condition, your primary care physician may prescribe appropriate medications that would help to lower your CRP levels. Lipid-lowering agents like statin drugs, ACE inhibitors like ramipril, and anti-diabetic medications such as rosiglitazone have proven to considerably reduce CRP levels.

What is C-reactive protein?

C-reactive protein is one of the many acute-phase proteins regulated by immune mediators in the body. Produced by hepatocytes in the liver, CRPs respond exponentially to inflammation in the body. The term C-reactive protein is used because it was first identified as a protein that reacted with the Carbohydrate antigen of pneumococcus and was prominently observed in persons having acute inflammation.

Read more: How to reduce inflammation in the body fast.

Normal range of C-reactive Protein

Normal range of C-reactive Protein in adults: 0 to 5mg/L

Causes of Raised CRP levels

Some of the diseases and health conditions associated with raised CRP levels include the following:

• Acute Inflammation

• Acute viral, fungal, parasitic, and bacterial infections like tuberculosis and malaria

• Heart attack

• Periodontal disease

• Myocardial infarction

• Trauma

• Cancer

• Autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, Lupus

Read more: What is Anti-CCP antibody?

Diagnosis

If you are suffering from symptoms that could lead to an elevated CRP level, such as inflammation or acute infection, your doctor would advise you to take a CRP Blood test to measure C-reactive protein in addition to testing other inflammatory markers like Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR). Depending on your symptoms, your doctor may advise undergoing a few other blood tests, like a DHEA Sulphate blood test, as an increased CRP level is associated with low Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) levels.