Jeremiah Stamler (1919–2022), doctor who linked diet and heart disease
legacy.comDr. Jeremiah Stamler was a doctor whose research proved that cardiovascular disease was linked to our diet and lifestyle.Stamler began studying cardiovascular disease in the 1940s, after serving in the U.S.
Army. His early research included studying the arteries of chickens fed a high-cholesterol diet. What he found over the course of decades of research was that there is a strong link between cardiovascular disease – including stroke, heart attack, and high blood pressure – and what we eat and do.
Stamler identified risk factors including high salt and cholesterol intake, sedentary lifestyle, and smoking. His research was highly influential in the decrease of cardiovascular disease over the years; though these conditions are still common, they were more prevalent before his research began.
A longtime professor at Northwestern University, Stamler continued his work even after turning 100, earning the description “the father of preventative cardiology.”Stamler made news for an entirely unrelated incident; in 1965, he was called to testify before the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC) because of his alleged membership in the Communist Party.
Read more on legacy.com
