Psychosocial and behavioral predictors of inflammation.

This study points out that chronic inflammation may be a mechanism, affected by stress, that contributes to cardiovascular disease risk. They investigated the contribution of behavioral and psychosocial factors to variation in C-reactive protein concentrations in middle-aged and older adults. Their conclusions are that psychosocial stress, as well as health behaviors, are important predictors of inflammatory activity, and should be considered in future research on inflammation and cardiovascular disease.