Framingham Heart Study

[2] Much of the now-common knowledge concerning heart disease, such as the effects of diet, exercise, and common medications such as aspirin, is based on this longitudinal study.

[citation needed] It was rightly assumed from the start of the Framingham Heart Study that cardiac health can be influenced by lifestyle and environmental factors, and by inheritance.

High blood pressure (hypertension) and elevated serum cholesterol (hypercholesterolemia) were also seen as normal consequences of aging in the 1950s, and no treatment was available.

[14] One question in evidence-based medicine is how closely the people in a study resemble the patient with whom the health care professional is dealing.

[15] Researchers recently used contact information given by subjects over the last 30 years to map the social network of friends and family in the study.

[citation needed] Major findings from the Framingham Heart Study, according to the researchers themselves:[17] The Framingham Heart Study participants, and their children and grandchildren, voluntarily consented to undergo a detailed medical history, physical examination, and medical tests every three to five years,[21] creating a wealth of data about physical and mental health, especially about cardiovascular disease.

[citation needed] In recent years, scientists have been carrying out genetic research within the Framingham Heart Study.

[26] Because of these exciting genomic results, the Framingham Heart Study has been described as "on its way to becoming the gold standard for cardiovascular genetic epidemiology".