From Medical Correspondent Dr. Steve Salvatore

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Doctors may soon have a new and better way than measuring blood cholesterol levels to predict the risk of heart attack and stroke among healthy women after menopause.

Researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School say a protein found in the body, called C-reactive protein or CRP, may help doctors predict who will develop heart disease and who will not.

"Basic research has shown that in the arteries in the heart, that inflammatory processes that are reflected by higher levels of CRP may play a role in the development of hardening of the arteries or atherosclerosis," said researcher Dr. Charles Hennekens.

Previous studies have shown that the C-reactive protein is a strong predictor of heart attack risk in men. Now a study published in the American Heart Association journal Circulation finds C-reactive protein also can predict heart attack risk in women as well.

"Lipids are strong predictors of heart disease; CRP is a strong predictor of heart disease, and these predictors are independent of one another," Hennekens said.

Compared to women with low levels of C-reactive protein, researchers say, women with the highest levels of the protein had five times the risk of developing heart disease, and seven times the risk of having a heart attack or stroke.

Standard blood tests for C-reactive protein are not sensitive enough to predict cardiac risk. Experts say they haven't yet determined how to use this new sensitive laboratory test for widespread screening of the general public.

Despite the potential of the new test, doctors emphasize the importance of keeping a close watch on your blood cholesterol levels. Knowing that means you and your doctor can work to reduce your risk of a heart attack or stroke.