C-Reaction protein or CRP is a protein found in blood whose concentration increases with an onset of immune response when various bacterial and viral infections kick in. This increase is not only limited to any specific defect caused by a foreign particle or micro-organism & can also increases in response to various diseases caused due to other factors such as age, genetic makeup, mutations, lifestyle, etc. The list of diseases in which CRP has a direct or indirect role is big. The concentration of CRP varies in response to the various stages of these pathological conditions.

Apart from CRP, there are other markers of inflammation which are triggered in response to various abnormal developments in the body. These markers are quite useful in profiling inflammatory responses of our body & thus, various tests have been designed for this purpose:

• Silent Inflammation Profile – This test measures the ratio of Arachidonic Acid (AA) to Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA) in your blood. The Arachidonic acid promotes inflammation while EPA fights it. It’s a rather more precise marker than CRP but unfortunately, testing it is little more complicated.

• Fasting insulin levels – These blood tests are given to screen for inflammatory responses to diabetes & heart diseases. Higher insulin levels results in elevated inflammatory responses by the body. This test has narrower diagnostic ability than CRP Test & is limited to heart diseases.

• LDL-Cholesterol profiling – Cholesterol associated arteriosclerosis & cardiovascular complications are the most important factors which effect the concentration of CRP in blood. Atherosclerosis associated vascular & cardio-muscular dystrophy leads to a dramatic rise in CRP levels & has profound effects on the concentrations of CRP. Therefore, LDL-Cholesterol profiling acts as a rough indicator of blood CRP levels.

• ESR profiling – The Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate is used as a measure of inflammation & it, along with C-reactive proteins, acts as a marker of body’s inflammatory responses. Generally, ESR levels do not change as rapidly with onset & descent of inflammation as levels of CRP. Moreover, ESR is also affected my many factors, other than inflammation, while CRP is not much affected by any other factor, making it a much better marker for inflammation diagnosis. CRP is thus better than ESR for monitoring rapid changes in inflammation pattern as it does not depend on fibrinogen or immunoglobulin levels, & is not affected by RBC count & shape.

• Miscellaneous: To predict risk of heart strokes, tests for cytokine activity, cellular adhesion, interleukin-6, soluble CD60 and intracellular adhesion molecule-1 are also good markers but these tests are either too difficult to perform regularly or may prove too costly for your economical health!

So, CRP tests when combined with results of other diagnostic measures may provide a valuable insight into your body’s current state of health!

Cholesterol is one of the lipids used extensively by our body for diverse array of functions. Cholesterol, along with some other lipids, forms important cellular structural components, makes steroidal hormones, & produces energy when decomposed. Cholesterol, at some levels, is produced by the body (without ever letting you know!) while it also finds its way in your body when you feast on that yummy creamy cake!

Cholesterol is broadly categorized, on the basis of its density, into following classes:

• High Density Lipoproteins

• Low Density Lipoproteins

• Intermediate Density Lipoproteins

• Very Low Density Lipoproteins

• Chylomicrons

The levels of these cholesterol types reflect the state of health of your body. The blood cholesterol levels define degree and asperity of a cascade of diseases, like:

• Atherosclerosis & atherosclerosis associated cardiovascular disorders: Atherosclerosis is a stage of arteriosclerosis involving fatty deposits inside the arterial walls. This deposition of fatty acids is a long term process which, in due course of time, leads to narrowing of arteries and to be hardened. It results in the diminution of arterial elasticity leading to reduction in the blood volume passed through them thus, leafing out various symptoms associated with cardiovascular diseases.

• Vascular dementia & Alzheimer’s disease: Vascular dementia (or mental deterioration, in layman terms!) is caused when blood vessels deprive the brain of oxygen, as a result of which brain cells die. Some studies report high cholesterol levels to increase the risk of cognitive impairment.

A famous neurological disorder, Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive form of pre-senile dementia that results in impaired memory which is followed by impaired thought and speech and finally complete helplessness. It has been reported that much of the damage of Alzheimer’s is due to the deposition of a sticky protein, called beta-amyloid in the vital areas of the brain and unfortunately, higher levels of cholesterol are believed to accelerate the formation of beta-amyloid plaques!

• Miscellaneous effects like peripheral vascular disease (numbness in limbs due to high cholesterol levels in blood vessels, blocking the flow of blood), cancer (due to suppression of a tumor suppression gene by TGF) & pregnancy colligated complications (due to dramatic rise in cholesterol count during pregnancy) have been reported quite frequently.

All these monstrous diseases certainly require us to stay informed about our cholesterol levels & overall lipid profiles. Usually, cardiovascular disease risk index (blood HDL & LDL ratio) is obtained by monitoring pulse rates, blood pressure, ECG, checking kidney functions, listening to heart beats and large arteries. However, a general quick idea of cholesterol levels can be obtained by various easy-to-use handy equipments available in the market which can used individually to test cholesterol levels without any laboratory expertise.

These testing machines are able to measure Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, triglycerides & total cholesterol with a reasonable accuracy.

The ideal cholesterol level in the blood is less than 5mmol/l. While the cholesterol levels between 6.5 to 7.8mmol/l are termed as moderate, anything above 7.8mmol/l is termed as Very High Cholesterol & surely you wouldn’t want your meter read anywhere near to it! So, stay informed and eat healthy!