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Background: Magnesium (Mg) and other mineral intakes are vital contributors to a healthy diet and appear to have a modest effect on the risk of hypertension. Studies suggest that supplemental Mg can significantly lower blood pressure (BP). Here, we investigate associations of total Mg consumption with the level of its urinary metabolomic biomarkers, and BP. Method: We used cross-sectional data from the International Study of Macro-/Micronutrients and Blood Pressure (INTERMAP) on 4269 men and women aged 40-59 years from Japan, China, United Kingdom, and United States (US). Regression coefficients with BP per 2 standard deviation (SD) higher dietary Mg from food plus supplement (obtained from 24-hr dietary recalls), urinary Mg (measured by atomic absorption flame photometry) and small molecules (analysed by direct injection mass spectrometry) were estimated using multivariable models, adjusted for age, gender, population sample, intake of total energy and other confounders (see Table). To estimate overall association, country-specific regression coefficients were pooled, weighted by inverse of their variance. Results: Average Mg intakes were 454 (SD=207) mg/day for 770 persons who reported Mg supplementation (89% from US), and 300 (SD=101) mg/day for those who did not. High correlation was found between Mg intake from food plus supplements with urinary Mg ( r =0.38, PP =6x10 -5 ). Urinary Mg excretion higher by 2.66 mmol/day was associated with a diastolic BP difference of -1.02 mm Hg (P=0.02). There was a non-significant inversed association between ascorbic acid and BP in some multivariable regression models. Conclusion: Higher intake of Mg, including supplements, was associated with lower BP levels.

Background: Evidence relating to the benefit of fish consumption on blood pressure (BP) management is inconclusive. Recent research has suggested that different patterns in fish consumption across geographic regions may modify the association between fish intake and cardiovascular outcomes. Objectives: To investigate the associations between fish intake and BP in Asian and Western population groups and to explore the associations between candidate urinary biomarkers of fish intake and BP. Methods: The International Study on Macro/Micronutrients and Blood Pressure (INTERMAP) surveyed 4680 men and women aged 40-59 years from four countries: United States of America (US), United Kingdom (UK), Peoples Republic of China (PRC) and Japan between 1996 and 1999. Standardized quality-controlled measures collected included: four 24-hour dietary recalls and two 24-hour urine collections and eight BP measurements. Proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectra of urine specimens were acquired, and partial correlation analysis adjusted for age, sex, and sample/centre were performed to identify candidate peak variables correlating to total fish and shellfish intakes. Multivariable linear regression models conducted on pooled data by geographic region (Asian: Japan and PRC; n = 1984, and Western: UK and US; n = 2696) estimated differences in BP per 2SD (33.4g/1000kcal) of total fish intake and identified urinary metabolites. Results: Japan reported the highest daily intake of fish (mean 40.3, SD 22.3 g/1000kcal) with 99% of the cohort classified as consuming fish. Mean daily fish consumption patterns were comparable between the US (9.0 SD 15.0 g/1000kcal; 53% consumers) and UK (8.5 SD, 12.4 g/1000kcal; 55% consumers). No associations were observed between total fish intake and BP in individual cohorts or by geographic region. Trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), taurine and homarine were identified as candidate urinary biomarkers of fish intake. Homarine showed a strong correlation with shellfish intake ( r =0.43, P β 0.32 95%CI 0.14, 0.50, P = 0.0006; fully adjusted for lifestyle and dietary intakes), this remained significant following adjustment for body mass index ( β 0.23, 95%CI 0.05, 0.41, P = 0.012). Taurine and homarine were not associated with BP. Conclusion: We observed no association between fish consumption and BP across Asian or Western populations. The differential association between urinary TMAO and DBP in Western and Asian population groups requires further investigation.

Background: Urinary sodium-to-potassium ratio may be more strongly related to blood pressure and cardiovascular disease than either urinary sodium or potassium alone. The casual urine sodium-to-potassium ratio is readily obtained, can provide prompt on-site feedback, and with repeated measurements may provide useful individual estimates of 24-hour urinary sodium-to-potassium ratio. The World Health Organization (WHO) has recently published guidelines for sodium and potassium intakes, but no generally accepted guideline prevails for favorable sodium-to-potassium ratio. Objective: Our primary aim was to compare the level of urinary Na/K ratio with the current recommended levels of Na and K intakes suggested in WHO guidelines. Methods: INTERSALT is an international study on associations of multiple urinary variables, with blood pressure (BP), based on standardized data on 24-hour and casual urinary electrolyte excretion in 10,065 individuals from 52 population samples in 32 countries. The associations between casual urinary sodium-to-potassium ratio and 24-hour urinary sodium and potassium excretion of individuals were assessed by correlation and stratification analysis. Results: Mean 24-hour sodium and potassium excretions were 156.0 mmol/24h and 55.2 mmol/24h; mean 24-hour urinary sodium-to-potassium ratio was 3.24. Pearson-r correlation coefficients of casual urinary sodium-to-potassium ratio with 24-hour sodium and potassium excretions were 0.42 and -0.34, respectively, and these were 0.57 and -0.48 for 24-hour urinary sodium-to-potassium ratio. The proportion of participants with estimated sodium chloride intake below the WHO recommended guideline of 85 mmol/day was 61.1% for those with casual urinary sodium-to-potassium ratio less than 1, and 96.3% where the 24-hour ratio was less than 1. For potassium, the proportion of people with potassium intake more than the WHO recommended guideline of 90 mmol/day was 21.3% where the casual urinary sodium-to-potassium ratio was less than 1 and 28.6% for the 24-hour urinary sodium-to-potassium ratio. Conclusions: Casual urinary sodium-to-potassium ratio less than 1 may be a useful indicator of adherence to the World Health Organization recommended levels of sodium intake, and to a lesser extent potassium intake in diverse different populations.

Background: High dietary sodium (Na), low dietary potassium (K) and high dietary sodium/potassium (Na/K) ratio are associated with adverse blood pressure levels and excess risks of cardiovascular diseases. 24-h urine collection is the gold standard for measuring dietary Na, K and Na/K ratio. Recommended levels of Na and K intakes are suggested in WHO guidelines; less than 85 mmol/day for Na; at least 90 mmol/day for K; there is no definitive guideline for Na/K ratio. Objective: Our primary aim was to compare the level of urinary Na/K ratio with the current recommended levels of Na and K intakes suggested in WHO guidelines. Methods: INTERMAP is an international study on associations of multiple dietary variables with blood pressure (BP), based on two timed 24-hr urine collections and dietary data from 4 in-depth 24-h dietary recalls in 4,680 men and women ages 40-59 years in China, Japan, United Kingdom and United States (US). Na/K ratio of 24-hr urine stratified in 1 unit intervals was compared with the current recommended levels of Na and K intakes suggested in WHO guidelines. Na intake was evaluated by urinary Na excretion; K intake by dietary K intake. Results: Thirty-one of the 4,680 INTERMAP participants (0.7%) had urinary Na/K ratio less than 1. The proportions of participants with Na excretion less than 2 g/day (85 mmol/day) among all 4,680 individuals were 77% (n=24), 19% (n=117), and 0.2% (n=11) in those with urinary Na/K ratio less than 1, 1 to 2, and more than 4, respectively. In US samples (n=2,195) the proportions were 88% (n=15), 19% (n=70), and 0.3% (n=6), respectively. The proportions of participants with dietary K intake more than 3.51 g/day (90 mmol/day) among all 4,680 individuals were 71% (n=22), 38% (n=233), and 2.4% (n=111) in those with urinary Na/K ratio less than 1, 1 to 2, and more than 4, respectively. In US samples the proportions were 59% (n=10), 38% (n=138), and 2.1% (n=47), respectively. Conclusions: WHO recommends Na intake less than 85 mmol/day, and K intake more than 90 mmol/day. Urinary Na/K ratio less than 1 is needed to ensure reasonable compliance with these recommendations. Currently, very few people satisfy urinary Na/K ratio less than 1, so population-wide efforts are needed to reduce salt (sodium chloride) and increase K intake.

Introduction: Twenty-four-hour (24-h) urine excretion is the “gold standard” for estimation of sodium intake. Sodium intake assessed by 24-h dietary recall has been reported to correlate with urinary sodium excretion, and is considered reliable for assessing population sodium intake. However, the validity of 24-h dietary recall across countries has rarely been studied. The present study aims to compare the 24-h dietary recall with 24-h urine collection for the estimation of population sodium intake in different countries. Methods: Data from the International study of Macro- and Micro-nutrients and Blood Pressure (INTERMAP) were used in the analyses, including 4680 men and women ages 40-59 years from 17 population samples in China, Japan, UK and USA. Four 24-h dietary recalls and two timed 24-h urine samples were collected for each participant; the averages of the dietary and urinary sodium measurements were used. The correlation and difference between the two methods were then explored and compared across countries. Results: After adjustment for population sample and gender, a significant correlation was found in all four countries between dietary and urinary sodium measurements (r=0.33, 0.45, 0.36 and 0.46 for China, Japan, UK and USA respectively, P Conclusions: The correlation of sodium intake estimated by the two methods is similar (0.33-0.46) for the four countries, and the 24-h dietary recall data demonstrate great accuracy in assessing sodium intake at the population level for Japan, UK and USA. For Chinese populations, however, the 24-h urine collection is preferable to the 24-h dietary recall since dietary recalls yielded considerable underestimation of sodium intake.

Objective: High dietary sodium (Na) and low dietary potassium (K) intakes are associated with adverse blood pressure levels and excess risks of cardiovascular diseases. The Sodium/potassium (Na/K) ratio is a composite index of Na and K. Recently, we found Na/K ratio of casual urine is useful for estimating 24-h urinary Na/K ratio in healthy Japanese participants. However, this finding has not been validated in different ethnic groups. Our aim was to assess the utility across and within populations of casual (spot) urine specimens to estimate 24-h urinary Na/K ratio using data from the International Cooperative Study on Salt, Other Factors, and Blood Pressure (INTERSALT). Methods: The INTERSALT study collected standardized data on casual urinary Na and K concentrations, and also on timed 24-h urinary Na and K excretion for 10,079 men and women ages 20-59 years from 52 population samples in 32 countries. Pearson correlation coefficients and agreement quality analysis (by the Bland-Altman method) were computed for Na/K ratio of casual urine against 24-h urinary Na/K ratio. Results: Overall mean value of Na/K ratio in 24-h urine collections was 3.24. 24-h urinary Na/K ratio and Na/K ratio of casual urine across the 52 population samples were highly correlated: r=0.96 (overall), r=0.96 (men), r=0.95 (women), r=0.94 (ages 20-29), r=0.94 (ages 30-39), r=0.95 (ages 40-49) and r=0.95 (ages 50-59). 24-hour urinary Na/K ratio and Na/K of casual urine across the 10,079 individuals had moderately strong correlations: r=0.69 (overall), r=0.70 (men), r=0.68 (women), r=0.58 (white), r=0.47 (black), r=0.81 (Amerindian), r=0.70 (Asian Indian), r=0.64 (east-Asian), r=0.70 (other ethnicities), r=0.58 (with anti-hypertensive medication use) and r=0.72 (without anti-hypertensive medication use). The bias estimate with the Bland-Altman method, defined as the difference between Na/K of 24-h urine collection and casual urine, was approximately 0.4 across both populations and individuals, independent of age, gender and anti-hypertensive medication use across the 52 population samples. Bias estimates across population samples were 0.39 (overall), 0.42 (men), 0.36 (women), 0.32 (ages 20-29), 0.41 (ages 30-39), 0.37 (ages 40-49) and 0.46 (ages 50-59). Bias estimates for the 10,079 individuals were 0.40 (overall), 0.42 (men), 0.37 (women), 0.33 (white), 0.69 (black), 0.04 (Amerindian), 0.22 (Asian Indian), 0.65 (east-Asian), 0.31 (other ethnicities), 0.45 (with anti-hypertensive medication use) and 0.38 (without anti-hypertensive medication use). Conclusions: These findings indicate that casual urine Na/K ratio is a useful, low-burden, low-cost method alternative to 24-h urine collection for estimation of urinary Na/K ratio across populations of various ethnicities. It is also applicable to individual urinary Na/K ratio.

Background: Reports from prior studies testing whether adults with comorbid depression and diabetes have higher mortality than adults with diabetes alone are inconsistent. Explanations may include sample sizes, inadequate follow-up, or populations selected based on disease status (e.g., post- CHD). In a large sample of adults free from prevalent CHD, we tested whether the presence of depressive symptoms in persons with diabetes led to higher mortality than what would be expected by either condition alone. Methods: Participants from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults Study, Cardiovascular Health Study, Framingham Offspring Study and Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis longitudinal cohort studies who had measures available to determine diabetes, depression and mortality were included in the analysis (n=17,160). Diabetes was determined based on medication use or fasting glucose > 126 mg/dL. Centers for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) scores > 16 (> 8 short version) indicated high depressive symptoms. We tested whether comorbid depressive symptoms and diabetes exceeded what would be expected by the sum of the two conditions independently on the additive scale by calculating the Relative Excess Risk due to Interaction (RERI; > 0 indicates interaction). Results: Crude mortality was highest in participants who had high depressive symptoms and diabetes, followed by participants who had diabetes and low depressive symptoms. Despite a significantly elevated adjusted hazard ratios (HR) comparing participants with diabetes who had high vs. low depressive symptoms, the RERI was 0.058 (95% confidence interval [CI]: -0.298, 0.413) indicating an absence of additive interaction. Findings were similar across strata by sex, age (< 65, >65), race (non-white vs. white) and education (< high school vs. > high school). Conclusions: While comorbid diabetes and depressive symptoms do not act synergistically to increase mortality, death rates are highest in this subgroup of participants.

Background The purpose of this study was to assess relations to blood pressure (BP) in individuals of markers of dietary protein in their 24-hour urine collections. Methods and Results INTERSALT (INTERnational study of SALT and blood pressure) was a cross-sectional study of 10 020 men and women aged 20 to 59 years in 52 population-based samples in 32 countries worldwide, with quality-controlled standardized procedures and assessment of multiple possible confounders. Three measurements of dietary protein in 24-hour urine of each individual participant were studied: total nitrogen and urea as indexes of total protein intake, and sulfate as an index of sulfur-containing dietary amino acids. Repeat examination was performed in a random 8% of participants to assess reliability and to correct for regression-dilution bias. Significant independent inverse relationships were found between BP (systolic and diastolic) and both 24-hour urinary total nitrogen and urea nitrogen, with adjustment for age, sex, alcohol intake, body mass, and 24-hour urinary sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium. With adjustment for regression-dilution bias, it was estimated that systolic and diastolic BP were on average 3.0 and 2.5 mm Hg lower, respectively, for persons with dietary total protein intake 30% above the overall mean than for those whose dietary protein intake was 30% below the overall mean (12.94 versus 6.96 g/d urinary total nitrogen, equivalent to 81 versus 44 g/d dietary protein, respectively). For the association of these markers with diastolic BP, results were similar for younger (20- to 39-year-old) and older (40- to 59-year-old) persons and for women and men. For their relation to systolic BP, regression coefficients were larger both for those aged 40 to 59 years than for those aged 20 to 39 years and for women than for men. Nonsignificant inverse relations were recorded for urinary sulfate and BP. Conclusions These INTERSALT findings lend support to the hypothesis that higher dietary protein intake has favorable influences on BP.

Background: Whereas observational cohort data suggest the association between HDL-C and coronary heart disease (CHD) is inverse and linear, data are sparse at HDL-C values > 80mg/dL. Methods: We therefore pooled data from the NHLBI public-funded datasets of the Framingham, Framingham Offspring, and Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities studies. We used multivariable Cox Proportional-Hazards Models to adjust for age, systolic blood pressure, body mass index, smoking status, prevalent diabetes, non-HDL-C, antihypertension and lipid medication use. We calculated adjusted hazard ratios (HR) to assess the association between a priori strata of HDL-C (30-40; >40-50; >50-60; >60-70; >70-80; >80mg/dL) and CHD death and non-fatal myocardial infarction using HDL-C >40-50mg/dL as the referent. Results: Over 118,716 person*years of follow up, there were 562 events in 9,226 participants. As expected, hazard ratios for CHD events are greatest in the lowest category of HDL-C (HR 1.68, 95%CI: 1.31, 2.21) and there was generally a stepwise inverse trend in CHD hazards up to 80mg/dL. (See Figure) At HDL-C > 80mg/dL the hazard point estimate for CHD events was insignificantly higher (HR 0.52, 95% CI 0.29, 0.95) than the hazard observed at HDL-C >70-80mg/dl (HR 0.35, 95% CI 0.18-0.66). However, the hazard for CHD events for HDL-C > 80mg/dL was still significantly lower than the referent. Conclusions: These data suggest that the association between HDL-C and CHD risk may not be inverse and linear at HDL-C values > 80mg/dL. These data support investigation into qualitative differences in HDL molecules in individuals with very high levels of HDL-C.

Background— Prior estimates of lifetime risk (LTR) for cardiovascular disease (CVD) examined the impact of blood pressure (BP) at the index age and did not account for changes in BP over time. We examined how changes in BP during middle age affect LTR for CVD, coronary heart disease, and stroke. Methods and Results— Data from 7 diverse US cohort studies were pooled. Remaining LTRs for CVD, coronary heart disease, and stroke were estimated for white and black men and women with death free of CVD as a competing event. LTRs for CVD by BP strata and by changes in BP over an average of 14 years were estimated. Starting at 55 years of age, we followed up 61 585 men and women for 700 000 person-years. LTR for CVD was 52.5% (95% confidence interval, 51.3–53.7) for men and 39.9% (95% confidence interval, 38.7–41.0) for women. LTR for CVD was higher for blacks and increased with increasing BP at index age. Individuals who maintained or decreased their BP to normal levels had the lowest remaining LTR for CVD, 22% to 41%, compared with individuals who had or developed hypertension by 55 years of age, 42% to 69%, suggesting a dose-response effect for the length of time at high BP levels. Conclusions— Individuals who experience increases or decreases in BP in middle age have associated higher and lower remaining LTR for CVD. Prevention efforts should continue to emphasize the importance of lowering BP and avoiding or delaying the incidence of hypertension to reduce the LTR for CVD.

BACKGROUND: Although the effect of risk factor (RF) burden at age 50 years has been reported, the effect of RF burden measured at other ages on lifetime risk for cardiovascular diseases (CVD) is unknown and no data are available for non-whites. METHODS: Using limited access data from the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, we pooled participants from the Framingham Heart Study, the Framingham Offspring Study, the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study, the Cardiovascular Health Study, and the Chicago Heart Association Detection Project in Industry with RFs measured at or near ages 45, 55, and 65 years for blacks and whites separately in sex-stratified analyses. Blood pressure and cholesterol levels, smoking, and diabetes status were used to stratify the pooled cohort into 5 risk strata. Lifetime risks for CVD events to 85 years of age were estimated for men and women, with death free of CVD as a competing event. RESULTS: We included 21,534 men (15.7% black) and 24,063 women (9.3% black) who were followed for 651,144 person-years. With more adverse levels of single risk factors, lifetime risks were greater for both men and women in both races. Compared with white participants with ≥2 major RFs, those with all optimal RF levels had substantially lower lifetime risks (see Table ). There was a similar pattern of results observed in blacks for lifetime risks for CVD death. Additional analyses of the endpoints of fatal/non-fatal coronary heart disease and fatal/non-fatal stroke revealed a similar pattern of results. CONCLUSIONS: Remaining lifetime risks for CVD are dramatically higher with greater RF burden at all ages studied. The absence of established RFs is associated with very low remaining lifetime risk for CVD, particularly for men and women at age 65 years.

The independent contributions of ST segment depression and/or T wave abnormality (ST-T abnormalities) on the baseline resting electrocardiogram to risk of 11.5 year coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality were explored among 9203 white men and 7818 white women who were 40 to 64 years old and without definite CHD at entry in the Chicago Heart Association Detection Project in Industry. At baseline, prevalence rates of ST-T abnormalities were age related for both sexes, and at every age the rate was higher in women than men (age-adjusted prevalence rates 12.3% and 8.1%, respectively). Univariate analysis showed that ST-T abnormalities were associated with significantly increased risk of death from CHD for both men and women. However, men with ST-T abnormalities had much greater age-adjusted and multiple risk factor-adjusted absolute excess risk and relative risk than women with such electrocardiographic abnormalities. When baseline age, diastolic pressure, serum cholesterol, cigarettes/day, history of diabetes, and baseline use of antihypertensive medication were included in the multivariate analysis, ST-T abnormalities remained significantly related to death from CHD in men but not women. The interaction term between sex and ST-T abnormalities was at a borderline level of statistical significance by Cox regression analysis. In conclusion, ST-T abnormalities indicate an increased risk of subsequent death from CHD independent of major coronary risk factors for middle-aged U.S. men, but this is not clearly so for women.

SUMMARY The relationship of education to risk factors at baseline and to long-term mortality from coronary heart disease (CHD), cardiovascular diseases (CVD), and all causes was analyzed for three cohorts of middle-aged employed white men in Chicago: 8047 from the Chicago Heart Association Detection Project in Industry (CHA) (entry 1967-1973), 1250 from the Peoples Gas Company Study (PG) (entry 1958-1959) and 1730 from the Western Electric Study (WE) (entry 1957-1958). Each man was classified into one of four groups: not a high school graduate, high school graduate, some college but not a graduate, or college graduate. For all three cohorts, a graded, inverse association was observed at baseline between education and blood pressure, which was statistically significant for CHA and WE men and independent of age and relative weight. For all three cohorts, a significant, graded, inverse association was also recorded between education and cigarette use at entry. For serum cholesterol, no clear pattern was observed for the education groups in any of the three cohorts. CHA men showed a graded, inverse relationship between education and relative weight. This cohort was the only one of three showing a significant, graded inverse association between education and prevalence of ECG abnormalities at entry. For this CHA cohort, 5-year follow-up data showed a statistically significant, graded, inverse relationship between education and ageadjusted mortality rates from CHD, CVD and all causes. With adjustment for entry age, diastolic pressure, cigarettes, serum cholesterol, relative weight and ECG abnormalities, this inverse relationship remainedreduced in degree, but still statistically significant for CVD mortality. Similarly, for the pooled PG-WE cohort of 2980 with 20-21 years of follow-up, education and the three mortality end points were inversely related but not graded, with statistical significance for all three end points in the univariate analyses. The results of these studies indicate inverse relationships between education and lifestyle-related risk factors at baseline and between education and long-term risk of CHD, CVD and all-causes mortality. The inverse relationship between education and mortality is accounted for in part by the established major biomedical risk factors.

SUMMARY Asimple, five-question risk test forcoronary heart disease (CHD)ispresented. Thetest allows a persontoestimate his orherrelative risk ofCHD,based onanswerstoquestions onsmoking habits, history ofdiagnosis andtreatment forhighblood pressure, weight, pulse rateandfamily history ofheart disease. The scoring system, developed fromthe17-year CHD mortality study of1899white males age40-55yearsfrom theChicago Western Electric Companystudy, isapplied tothemen ofthatstudy andpredictively to1158 white men age40-59 yearsfollowed 15yearsintheChicago Peoples GasCompany study. Inthese twostudies, themen with thehighest quintile ofrisk scoreshadmorethanfourtimes theobserved numbers ofCHD deaths asthemen inthelowest quintile ofrisk scores.Inaddition, atest that usesactual blood pressure instead of treatment status, andincludes serumcholesterol level, isalsopresented foruseincaseswherethevalues of these variables areavailable. Although thescoringsystems forthese tests arebased on themortality experience ofmiddle-aged white males, thetests should haveapproximate validity forallage-sex-race groups because thescoresarea measureofrelative risk. THE NATIONAL Broadcasting Company(NBC) requested ustodevelop aself-scoring risk test forcoronaryheart disease (CHD)toallow aperson toestimate hisorherrelative riskofCHD.Theselfscoring test wepresent isamodification ofthetest originally usedandprepared with NBC.This test asks theperson toscorehimself/herself onquestions regarding smoking habits, history ofdiagnosis and treatment forhighblood pressure, weight, pulse rate, andfamily history ofheart disease. A second risk test that substitutes aquestion onactual blood pressure for thequestion ondiagnosis andtreatment forhigh blood pressure ontheself-scoring test, andadds asixth question onserumcholesterol, isalso given. Inthis report wepresent thequestions that makeup thetests andtheassociated scoring systems anddiscusshowthesystems weredeveloped statistically and therationale that wentinto that development.

Multivariate analysis of the association at baseline between problem drinking and cardiovascular risk factors among 1,233 white male employees of the Chicago Peoples Gas Company age 40-59 showed the 38 problem drinkers with significantly higher blood pressures and cigarette consumption and significantly lower relative weights than the others. Similar analysis among 1,899 white male employees of the Hawthorne Works of the Western Electric Company in Chicago age 40-55 showed the 117 men consuming 5 or more drinks per day with significantly higher blood pressures and cigarette use than the others. No significant differences were recorded between heavy drinkers and the others in serum cholesterol level. The gas company problem drinkers had significantly higher 15-year mortality rates from all causes, cardiovascular diseases, coronary heart disease, and sudden death. These differences could not be entirely explained by their blood pressure, smoking, and relative weight status. The Western Electric heavy drinkers had increased 10-year mortality rates both for all causes and noncardiovascular causes.

The association between serum uric acid and the prevalence of ECG abnormalities was analyzed for 24.997 employed men and women, white and black, age 18--64 years, from the Chicago Heart Association (CHA) Detection Project in Industry. In addition, the relationships between uric acid and 5-year mortality from all causes, from cardiovascular diseases (CVD), and from coronary heart disease (CHD) were analyzed for 7804 white men and women age 45--64 years from this study and 967 white men age 44--63 years from the Chicago People's Gas Company Study. For men, the association between uric acid and the prevalence of ECG abnormalities and with mortality appear to be secondary to associations between uric acid and other risk factors. For women, however, the associations could not be explained by other risk factors.

The relationship of education to both actual blood pressure and the prevalence of high blood pressure, based on a systolic pressure of 160 mm Hg or greater or a diastolic pressure of 95 mm Hg or greater, was analyzed among 27,033 men and women, white and black, age 25-44 and 45-64, from the Chicago Heart Association Detection Project in Industry. The educational status of each individual was categorized as not a high school graduate, high school graduate, some college, or college graduate. A statistically significant inverse association between education and high blood pressure was present in all groups of whites. This association could not be "accounted for" by differences in age, relative weight, and heart rate among the educational strata. Controlling for these variables did, however, lessen the association. Among black males a significant inverse association between education level and blood pressure was found for the younger group. For the older black males there was a clear inverse association although with the small numbers it did not achieve statistical significance. For black females there was no clear association.