Researchers Spot Link Between Heart Disease, Income

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Diet is well known to affect other risk markers for cardiovascular disease, notably blood cholesterol levels, but levels of the inflammatory molecules "are more sensitive markers than serum [blood] cholesterol," Ranjit said.

Among both whites and blacks, a link between education level and inflammatory markers was also found. For example, a drop of 4.6 fewer years of education was associated with 6 percent to 14 percent higher levels of IL-6 and CRP.

"Our results suggest that persons of lower socioeconomic position have greater inflammatory burden than those of higher socioeconomic position because of the cumulative effects of multiple behavioral, psychological and metabolic characteristics," the researchers concluded. "If the role of inflammation in the origin of multiple chronic diseases is confirmed, inflammation may represent a common element through which socioeconomic position is related to cardiovascular disease and other chronic disease common in aging."

More information

There's more on C-reactive protein at the American Heart Association.