For 50 years, researchers from all over the world have descended upon Framingham, Massachusetts, a small city near Boston, to study its people and their lifestyles over time in order to identify factors most closely associated with heart disease , the leading cause of death in the US and most developed countries. I'm Phyllis Woodson, a dietitian with Eastern Virginia Medical School's Strelitz Diabetes Institutes and Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine.
Hypertension is most common here in the southeast .
If you are overweight, decrease your food intake and increase your activity level. Use fewer processed foods that are canned, packaged, instant, or dried. Use fresh foods or low-sodium packaged foods. Limit sweets and fatty foods. Exercise can raise your good cholesterol and make you feel better about yourself.