C-Reactive Protein Click for a larger view and caption

Heart attacks and strokes may also be caused in part by inflammation.

Atherosclerosis is a condition in which fatty plaques streak the insides of blood vessels and restrict flow. In recent years, doctors have come to appreciate the contribution of inflammation in this artery-clogging process. A high-fat, high-cholesterol diet can induce changes in the architecture of blood vessel walls by increasing the manufacture of a sticky protein called VCAM-1 (vascular cell adhesion molecule-1).

Atherosclerosis Click on the illustration for a larger view

Researchers think that tiny fat droplets can stimulate inflammation in blood vessels, which prods VCAM-1 production. Fat and other particles cause white blood cells to stick to vessel linings, causing a disturbance in flow. Local disruptions in blood flow can prevent oxygen from reaching vital organs. This can cause heart attacks and strokes, especially at branch points in vessels where the flow is somewhat restricted to begin with.

Another way in which inflammation contributes to heart disease is through the production of so-called foam cells, which are constituents of the fatty plaques in atherosclerosis. Monocytes within blood vessels, which have the ability to ingest various substances, "eat" droplets of cholesterol and turn into foam cells. These cells congregate together to form a plaque, or "lesion."