| People from all parts of the world have heard of small | | | | children and spouses were added to the database. |
| town of Framingham, Massachusetts, population | | | | Now, more 50 years later, the Framingham Heart |
| 65,000. I recently competed in the 111th running of the | | | | Study is one of the most recognized in the history of |
| Boston Marathon and passed through on my way to | | | | modern medicine. It was through the follow-up work on |
| Boston from Hopkinton. The 10 kilometer checkpoint on | | | | the residence of Framingham that researchers were |
| the fabled Boston course is located in Framingham. But | | | | able to positively identify the major cardiovascular risk |
| that is hardly not the only reason this town is so well | | | | factors that we know so well today such as high |
| known. | | | | blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, smoking, obesity, |
| According to the American Heart Association, with the | | | | diabetes, and physical inactivity. |
| exception of 1918, cardiovascular disease has been the | | | | Using the data collected from Framingham, scientists |
| leading cause of death in the United States since 1900. | | | | and doctors have published more than 1,000 scientific |
| Prior to 1940, coronary artery disease was thought to | | | | articles in medical journals and still continue to do so |
| be just a part of the normal aging process that could | | | | today. New potential risk factors have been |
| not be slowed or affected by lifestyle. In those days | | | | discovered and are currently being studied such as the |
| there was no established relationship between heart | | | | amino acid homocysteine and a lipoprotein called Lp(a). |
| disease and cholesterol, diet, smoking, or obesity. | | | | Viral or bacterial infections are being investigated as a |
| Doctors believed that blood pressure was something | | | | potential explanation for early damage to blood vessel |
| that was supposed to increase with age. Although | | | | walls. |
| people knew about heart disease in 1940, there was | | | | In addition to heart disease, the Framingham data is |
| certainly no warning that it would reach epidemic | | | | also being used to study other age-related problems |
| proportions by the late 1960s. | | | | such as stroke, dementia, osteoporosis, arthritis, |
| Recognizing that heart disease was becoming a major | | | | diabetes, eye disease, and cancer. Armed with DNA |
| public health concern, in 1948 the National Health | | | | from 2 generations of Framingham residents, genetic |
| Institute went to the town of Framingham and | | | | links to certain diseases are now being explored. |
| recruited 5,209 healthy residents between the ages of | | | | The original Framingham Heart Study paved the way |
| 30 and 62 years to participate in a study. The idea | | | | for the prevention revolution in medicine. So next time |
| was to monitor the health of these people over the | | | | your doctor tells you to give up smoking, eat a low fat |
| years, see who develops heart disease, and then try | | | | diet, lose weight, or get some exercise, just remember |
| to find out why. Every 2 years the Framingham | | | | the residents of Framingham who have served as |
| volunteers were given extensive physical exams, lab | | | | guinea pigs since 1948 to prove that you can do |
| work ups, and lifestyle interviews. In 1971, a second | | | | something about your own health. |
| generation of 5,124 of the original participants adult | | | | |