CRP and ischemic stroke: One study in the United States with 27 000 participants and 979 incident CVD (mainly myocardial infarction and ischemic stroke) showed that conventional lipids (LDL-C, HDL-C, and total cholesterol) and inflammation (hs-CRP, fibrinogen, and soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1) each accounted for 19% and 32% of the protective effect of leisure-time physical activity on CVD risk.20 In CKB, we identified a pattern whereby physical activity tended to be associated with lower concentrations of metabolic markers that were associated with a higher risk of occlusive CVD and vice versa.