<P> In recent years, scientists have been carrying out genetic research within the Framingham Heart Study . </P> <P> Inheritance patterns in families, heritability and genetic correlations, molecular markers, and associations have been studied . The association studies include traditional genetic association studies, i.e., looking for associations of cardiovascular risk with gene polymorphisms (single - nucleotide polymorphisms, SNPs) in candidate genes, and genome wide association studies (GWAS). For example, one genome wide study, called the 100 K Study, included almost 1400 participants of the Framingham Heart Study (from the original cohort, and the offspring cohort), and revealed a genetic variant associated with obesity . The researchers were able to replicate this particular result in four other populations . Further, the SHARe Study (SNP Health Association Resource Study) uncovered new candidate genes, and confirmed already known candidate genes (for homocysteine and vitamin B12 levels) in participants of the Framingham Heart Study . </P> <P> 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". </P> <P> However, clinically, despite these (and other) efforts, the aggregate effect of genes on cardiovascular disease risk beyond that of traditional cardiovascular risk factors has not been established until now . </P>

In what ways did the framingham heart study gather its data