28
MARCH/APRIL 2016
Framingham Research
Links Heart Health with
Dementia Decline
Study that started in 1948 still
providing data
by Dr. Tom Miller, Staff Writer
One of the most well-respected
studies on health and wellness is
the Framingham Heart Study, under the direction of the National
Heart, Lung and Blood Institute
(NHLBI), formerly known as the
National Heart Institute. What
makes this study so unique is that
it started in 1948 with a focus on
identifying the common factors
and characteristics that contribute
to cardiovascular disease. Its initial
subjects were 5,209 men and
women between the ages of 30
and 62 from the town of Framingham, Mass. None had yet developed overt symptoms of cardiovascular disease or suffered a heart
attack or stroke. Over time, the
study has added the original subjects’ offspring. This enrollment
and examination of a third generation of participants will provide
greater resources on phenotypic
and genotypic information.
Taking a step further in 1994,
the researchers included men
and women of African American,
Hispanic, Asian, Indian, Pacific
Islander and Native American origins who at the time of enrollment
were residents of Framingham and
the surrounding towns. Recruitment of New Offspring Spouses
(NOS) began in October 2003,
and all groups continue into 2016.
Most significant to an aging
population is the fact that current
scientists and research clinicians
have access to the Framingham
data. Over the years, careful monitoring of the study population has
led to the identification of major
risk factors as well as valuable
information on the effects these
factors have on blood pressure,
blood triglyceride and cholesterol
levels, age, gender and psychosocial issues. These findings suggest
projections of increasing incidences of dementia in the coming
decades may be less burdensome
than expected, and education and
lifestyle changes may help reduce
the risk. Researchers at Boston
University Sch