Comment by cthalupa

MR studies rule out the idea that inflammation is the sole causal factor, and we have a lot of them.

We have MVMR studies that look at multiple variables

https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article%3Fid%3D10.137...

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanhl/article/PIIS2666-75...

Some MR looking specifically at CRP actually dispute the idea of a causal link altogether

https://www.bmj.com/content/342/bmj.d548

https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/01.atv.0000258869.48...

Factorial MR show strong evidence that the risk is additive, in the case of these that look at atherogenic particles and IL-6 signaling

https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/JAHA.121.023277

MR looking at specific genes that reduce LDL-C through a variety of mechanisms, including some that lower inflammation, show basically identical reduction of risk per LDL-C lowered.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25770315/

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1604304