Editing Framingham Heart Study (section)

==Major findings==
Major findings from the Framingham Heart Study, according to the researchers themselves:<ref>{{cite web|title=Research Milestones|url=https://www.framinghamheartstudy.org/about-fhs/research-milestones.php|website=Framingham Heart Study|access-date=2 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170731161540/http://www.framinghamheartstudy.org/about-fhs/research-milestones.php|archive-date=31 July 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>

;1960s: Cigarette smoking is associated with increased risk of heart disease. Increased cholesterol and elevated blood pressure is associated with increased risk of heart disease. Exercise is associated with decreased risk of heart disease, and obesity with increased risk.
;1970s: Elevated blood pressure is associated with increased risk of stroke. In women who are postmenopausal, risk of heart disease is increased, compared with women who are premenopausal. [[Psychosocial]] factors affect risk of heart disease.
;1980s: High levels of [[HDL cholesterol]] is associated with lower risk of heart disease. No empirical evidence found to confirm the rumor that filtered cigarettes lower the risk of heart disease as opposed to non-filters. Elevated levels of [[fibrinogen]] are associated with an increased risk of coronary artery disease and stroke.<ref>[https://www.upi.com/Archives/1987/09/04/Blood-protein-is-another-heart-attack-risk-factor/9642557726400/ "Blood protein is another heart attack risk factor"]. upi.com. Retrieved 3 November 2023.</ref><ref>[https://www.jwatch.org/jw198709080000003/1987/09/08/fibrinogen-levels-linked-cardiovascular-disease "Fibrinogen Levels Linked to Cardiovascular Disease"]. jwatch.org. Retrieved 3 November 2023.</ref>
;1990s: Having an enlarged left ventricle of the heart ([[left ventricular hypertrophy]]) is associated with increased risk of stroke. Elevated blood pressure can progress to heart failure. Framingham Risk Score is published, and correctly predicts 10-year risk of future coronary heart disease (CHD) events. At 40 years of age, the lifetime risk for CHD is 50% for men and 33% for women.
;2000s: So called "high normal blood pressure" is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease (high normal blood pressure is called [[prehypertension]] in medicine; it is defined as a systolic pressure of 120–139&nbsp;mm Hg and/or a diastolic pressure of 80–89&nbsp;mm Hg). Lifetime risk of developing elevated blood pressure is 90%. Obesity is a risk factor for heart failure. Serum [[aldosterone]] levels predict risk of elevated blood pressure. Lifetime risk for obesity is approximately 50%. The "SHARe" project is announced, a [[genome]] wide association study within the Framingham Heart Study. Social contacts of individuals are relevant to whether a person is obese, and whether cigarette smokers decide to quit smoking. By providing contact information, the Framingham Heart Study establishes a network of personal relationships, connecting participants through their relationships—friends, colleagues, relatives and neighbors.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Christakis|first1=Nicholas A.|last2=Fowler|first2=James H.|date=2008-05-22|title=The Collective Dynamics of Smoking in a Large Social Network|journal=New England Journal of Medicine|volume=358|issue=21|pages=2249–2258|doi=10.1056/NEJMsa0706154|issn=0028-4793|pmid=18499567|pmc=2822344}}</ref> Four risk factors for a precursor of [[heart failure]] are discovered. 30-year risk for serious cardiac events can be calculated. [[American Heart Association]] considers certain [[genomic]] findings of the Framingham Heart Study one of the top research achievements in cardiology. Some genes increase risk of [[atrial fibrillation]]. Risk of poor memory is increased in middle aged men and women if the parents had had [[dementia]].