Know your cholesterol and blood pressure!

The Framingham Heart Study was the first study to observe people that ended up having heart attacks and what they had in common.

Heart Hacks S3E6

Know your Numbers

The Framingham Heart Study

Framingham is a town in Massachusetts, about 50 minutes from Boston.

A large observational study began there in 1948. Observational means there was no intervention in this study.

Healthy participants between the ages of 30 and 65 were enrolled.

What started to become clear as the years went on was that, of those that ended up having heart attacks and strokes etc,  abnormalities of their blood pressure, cholesterol, weight, smoking status, were common factors. 

This is why they became known as risk factors. When they are address by diet and lifestyle, or for some medication, your risk of having a heart attack or stroke decreases. 

Thats common knowledge now, but back in the 40’s this was revolutionary in terms of changing how public health, patients health and lifestyle was viewed.

So when you go to your doctor, all of these numbers/ risks are assessed and discussed with you so that you can make all the necessary changes (primary prevention) to reduce your risk of heart attack etc.

Some people need medication to manage these risk for eg blood pressure or cholesterol meds. 

It was and still is a landmark study, that is ongoing. I learned about it as a Medical Student, and it is still referenced today.