Dr. Daniel Levy is the current Director of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's long-running Framingham Heart Study. Levy completed his undergraduate work in biology at the University of Pennsylvania in 1976 and obtained his MD from the Boston University School of Medicine in 1980. His primary research concerns are cardiology and the epidemiology and prevention of heart disease. Levy joined the Framingham Heart Study as the Director of the Cardiology Lab in 1985 and became director of the study in 1995.

In addition to his research, Levy holds professorial posts at Harvard Medical School and at Boston University's School of Medicine. The author of more than 150 research publications, Levy is also a reviewer for several prestigious professional journals, including The New England Journal of Medicine, Lancet and Circulation. He also edited the book "Fifty Years of Discovery: Medical Milestones from the Framingham Heart Study," published in 1999.

2.20.01 Mike L. Mikeska asked:
I come from a family with a history of high cholesterol. My Grandma is 85 with a level above 300. My dad is 65 with a level of 290. I am 38-years-old with a cholesterol of 280. My son at the age of 5 was at 225. Surprisingly we are all relatively healthy. Is all this harping on cholesterol really important?

Levy's response:
The harping on cholesterol is for a very good reason. Some people with high cholesterol levels don't get an event because they also have very high levels of HDL cholesterol which is protective. Others are just lucky. It would be useful to know your HDL and LDL cholesterol numbers to know whether you are indeed at high risk.

2.20.01 Mr. Lynn E. Johnson asked:
Hello Dr. Levy: I don't smoke cigarettes, but I do chew tabacco. From what I understand there is a correlation with smoking and heart disease. Is there a correlation also with chewing?

Levy's response:
The principal risk associated with tobacco chewing is cancer, especially oropharyngeal and esophageal cancer. These forms of cancer are quite serious!!

2.20.01 Herbert King asked:
Is the MRI that Alan Alda had available to the public? How would someone go about having one?

Levy's response:
At present the test Alan Alda had is purely a research test and not available to the general public. We don't at present know what to do with the information from this kind of test.

2.20.01 Chris West asked:
Dear Dr. Levy: Is eating a gram of cholesterol any worse for your heart than eating a gram of any saturated fat?

Levy's response:
While both cholesterol and saturated fat are important, within the range of usual amounts of dietary cholesterol and saturated fat, changing saturated fat intake will have a greater effect on blood cholesterol levels.

2.20.01 Brian Tillman asked:
Is the Framingham study still on-going? How do you choose candidates?

Levy's response:
The Framingham Heart Study is ongoing. Future enrollment will likely be restricted to children of current participants.