This interesting study looked into about 10,000 patients with previous heart attacks and with high hsCRP, an inflammatory marker.
They were treated with special anti- inflammatory, super- expensive medication (200K per year) canakinumab, not clear for how long and found 15% reduction of future heart attacks with no effect on cholesterol. Surprisingly, there was a reduction in lung cancer incidence and not so-surprisingly- “significant increase in deaths due to infection with canakinumab vs placebo (incidence rate 0.31 vs 0.18 events per 100 person-years; P=0.02)”.
This confirms that inflammation plays huge role in atherosclerosis progression and it is not only about high cholesterol.
Studying Functional Medicine, best anti inflammatory measures for your body are: your diet, avoidance of toxic chemicals, healing your gut, reduction of stress and increase of sleep. Much cheaper than $200K per year and has no side effects.
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/884745?src=wnl_edit_tpal&uac=5641HZ