Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease that impacts approximately 1% of all Canadians. RA is associated with increased mortality, decreased life expectancy and increased morbidity, which is primarily attributable to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Traditional risk factors (e.g. dyslipidemia, hypertension, physical inactivity, etc.) contribute, in part, to the elevated risk of CVD in individuals with RA. However, the higher incidence of CVD events in RA appears to be independent of the influence of traditional CVD risk factors. Non-traditional risk factors, such as inflammation, also contribute to the increased risk of CVD in RA patients. In fact, when traditional CVD risk factors and co-morbidities are controlled for in people with RA, markers of systemic inflammation confer a significant additional risk for CV death. This suggests that systemic inflammation significantly contributes to the increased risk of CVD in individuals with RA. Thus, there is an immediate need to develop intervention strategies to reduce the inflammatory mediated risk of CVD in the RA population.