U.S. Study Shows Beer Consumption Declining

A report from the longest-running heart study shows that Americans are drinking less beer. The Framingham Heart Study has been collecting data for more than 50 years to study the causes of stroke and heart disease.

This new report, which will appear in the The American Journal of Medicine, also indicates that moderate consumption of wine has increased along side the decrease in beer consumption among American adults. The data was collected through interviews with subjects who were born pre-1900 through 1959 every four years until 2003. The end result was 50 years worth of historical data for more than 8000 individuals. Cardiovascular disease is an epidemic and studies such as this are crucial to learning about causes, risk factors, prevention, and possible treatment options for those affected. Some major discoveries attributed to Framingham include the link between cigarette smoking and increased risk of cardiovascular disease (1960), ill effects of having high blood pressure (1970), and risk of death associated with high levels of HDL cholesterol (1988). The original study population selected for this research project was recruited from the town of Framingham, Massachusetts and included more than 5000 men and women between 30 and 62 years of age. In the early 1970s, offspring of the original population and their spouses were included. For more information about the Framingham Heart Study or the study to be published in The American Journal of Medicine.