Where is the heart of the world beating?

The small town of Framingham, near Boston, Massachusetts, USA has become a giant science laboratory for nearly 60 years. There has been a unique medical study in human history.

Framingham is a town like many other towns, walking along the main road, only one-storey houses are seen, gas stations, restaurants and small shops. Absolutely nothing stand out, but 67,000 people here wrote a legendary story and will continue writing.

Huge science laboratory - Framingham town, near Boston Massachusetts state - USA (Photo: Bild, TP)

It is a medical story, it has been written continuously for nearly 60 years in the town of Framingham, near Boston, Massachusetts - USA. It was like an immortal epic to mark a unique cardiovascular medical study of mankind.

Scientific conclusions such as: Tobacco is harmful to the heart, cholesterol causes the heart to stagnate . almost everything related to human heart diseases, about the risks that This disease is brought from here - Framingham town.

In 1948, 15,000 inhabitants of this small town participated in cardiovascular research in the world . Scientists began their research right after the end of World War II. There were 5,209 men and women between the ages of 30 and 62 examined, equivalent to nearly 50% of Framingham adults at that time.

In addition to his father's generation, he has contributed to this medical research since the first days, and now has more generations of children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren who have participated in the research process here. Currently more than 9,000 people are directly involved in this ' giant lab ' study.

Every 2 to 4 years they will be given a very thorough examination at the hospital. The members of the first generation who participated in the research are still 450 people, the oldest is a 103-year-old woman. They often receive health visits from doctors.

A familiar name that scientists cannot forget is: Mckeown . The family currently has 6 members from three generations who are participating in medical research here. Richard Mckeown, the eldest son of the family that has been involved since 1971, said: ' We do not have to pay any cost. What we receive is a free medical examination. In return, scientists want to know what can harm the heart: Eating, sports, blood pressure, cholesterol or tobacco . '.

"My doctor even asked about the shampoo I used," recalled Mrs. Betty, sister of Richard Mckeown .

A 66-year-old surveyor, rescued by cardiologists here, discovered his cholesterol was above the allowed limit - the highest risk of death in cardiovascular diseases.

Mckeown is indeed a famous family in Framingham, his sons Riochard Michael (34) and Keith (31) are the third generation of the Mckeown family who participated in the study since 2002. They share a common concern.

A resident is measuring the peak flow of the lungs (Photo: Bild, TP)

Richard Mckeown said: 'I always feel secure and above all health through this medical research'. He limited the intake of butter and salt, drinking plenty of milk, which allowed Richard to keep his cholesterol level at the limit. Gail (62), Richard's wife, said: 'This medical study has extended our lifespan.' Ms. Gail has been involved in the research process since 1974.

The reason why Framingham was chosen as a place for long-term research is that there was a world-leading study of tuberculosis in the 20th century. Since then, this place in Massachusetts is an ideal place for great scientific research.

Ms. Rita Mckeown (87 years old), who belonged to the first generation of the Mckeown family, became 'experimental rabbit' in this study since 1948. Before that, she had absolutely no knowledge of the risks. of cardiovascular disease. She said: 'After the Second World War, we were not knowledgeable about cardiovascular diseases'. It is also not interested in anyone. Eating, cholesterol, high blood pressure . very few people come.

The great majority of us want to enjoy. This means eating as you like. Rita Mckeown recalled and said: 'These are high nutritional breakfasts, including fried eggs with animal fat, bread spread with butter, coffee with whey. Similarly, at lunch and dinner people often eat meat with fatty sauces and other high-protein foods and then smoke along with coffee sipping '.

Such a menu is not good for the heart. Rita added: 'I was the one who used to smoke and almost lost my life because of drug addiction. But with only great luck, I can overcome lung cancer and live to this day. '

In an examination of the cardiovascular research, doctors discovered dark spots in Rita's lungs."I am extremely grateful to the scientists because they gave birth to me again," she said excitedly .

A lot of people did not get the same luck as Rita, they forever went away at the age of 50, 60 or 70. The main culprit here is the disease of heart attack. In the United States alone, nearly 25% of men over 55 years of age die from this disease.

Dr. Daniel Levy (51) - who has been in charge of medical research at Framingham since 1984, said: 'It is a pandemic. We can only do a few small things. We know that cardiovascular diseases always account for a high proportion of fatal diseases.

Dr. Daniel Levy (Photo: bu.edu)

But we have not yet identified its underlying causes. ' Cholesterol has been known for a long time but it is not the only cause.

Dr. Daniel Levy recalls: For blood pressure, the study at Framingham drew a simple rule: 100 plus years of life. Accordingly, if a 70-year-old person has a blood pressure of up to 170, his life-threatening level will increase four times that of a normal person.

Looking at the statistics for the past 38 years, the mortality rate due to congestion or myocardial infarction is significantly reduced. A typical case is that the Vice President of the United States - Dick Cheney (65 years old) had 4 heart stops, of which the first time he was 37 years old.

Now Dick Cheney is living with a pacemaker and a device that keeps his heart rate stable, all placed in the chest.

Dr. Daniel Levy said: 'He benefited from our research. He survived thanks to the medical achievements that scientists have been working on in the town of Framingham from 1948 until now. Without it, there probably wouldn't be a Vice President of today. '.

Le Quan