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The Year 2002 World Health Organization (WHO) report terms these as dangerous times for the well-being of the world. Their research projects a picture that is extremely alarming. It shows that as lifestyles change around the world, almost at the speed of thought, if one might add, the impact on the health of individuals, families, communities and whole populations is terrifying.
Diet, hypertension, coronary heart disease, diabetes, obesity and cancer - these "Lifestyle Diseases" are posing severe health consequences and account for more than one-third of all deaths worldwide. More than three-quarters of cardiovascular diseases - the world's leading cause of death - results from tobacco use, high blood pressure or cholesterol, or their combination. Overall, cholesterol causes more than 4 million premature deaths in a year, tobacco causes almost 5 million, and blood pressure causes 7 million.
In 1948, the community town of Framingham, in Massachusetts contributed to a Study that changed America's Heart. Popularly known as The Framingham Heart Study, even after 55 years, the Study continues to shape the understanding of many interrelated factors that cause and prevent cardiovascular diseases and in doing so, has helped save millions of lives. In 1961, the word 'risk factor' was coined by this Study and helped to change the practice of medicine. It was at Framingham, that cholesterol became a villain in the heart disease story. And included in their score sheet were hypertension, obesity and diabetes as diseases by themselves and great risk contributors.
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