Researchers studied inflammatory markers and cardiovascular outcomes across nearly 488,000 UK Biobank participants.People with the highest levels of chronic inflammation had a 43% higher risk of major cardiovascular events than those with the lowest levels.The study linked inflammation with subtle changes to heart structure before obvious cardiovascular disease appears.
Inflammation may help connect some of the biggest cardiovascular risk factors – including excess abdominal fat, smoking and psychological distress – with changes inside the heart.
Researchers from Imperial College London analysed data from up to 488,079 UK Biobank participants.
They used a blood marker called GlycA to estimate chronic systemic inflammation, then combined this with heart MRI scans, protein measurements, genetic data and long-term cardiovascular outcomes.
Higher levels of inflammation were linked with smaller volumes in the heart’s main pumping chamber, reduced stroke volume and compensatory increases in heart rate.
These are subtle structural and functional changes that can occur before someone is diagnosed with heart failure.
The difference in longer-term risk was also substantial.
Participants in the highest fifth for GlycA had a 43% higher adjusted risk of a major cardiovascular event compared with people in the lowest fifth.
These events included outcomes such as heart attacks and strokes.
Researchers also identified inflammatory proteins involving pathways such as interleukin-1 and tumour necrosis factor that may partly connect systemic inflammation with cardiac remodelling.
Among the strongest factors associated with higher inflammation were trunk fat, current smoking, psychological distress and lower socioeconomic status.
Genetic susceptibility also appeared to influence how strongly environmental factors translated into inflammation and cardiovascular risk.
But this remains observational research.
It does not show that reducing a GlycA result itself would prevent a heart attack, and GlycA is not a standard NHS diabetes blood test.
Nor should the results be interpreted as saying psychological distress directly “damages the heart”.
The relationships are complex and may run in both directions.
The diabetes relevance is nevertheless strong.
People with diabetes already face an increased cardiovascular risk, and metabolic disease is closely tied to chronic low-grade inflammation.
The findings add another reason to focus on the fundamentals that can be changed: smoking, central obesity, physical activity, blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose control.
They also reinforce that social and psychological health cannot always be separated neatly from physical cardiovascular risk.