Information on alcohol consumption was first collected in 1980 when participants completed a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire and reported their average frequency of consumption of specific food and beverage items during the previous twelve months. Consumption of beer, wine, and liquor was ascertained as separate items. Alcohol consumption in grams per day was calculated as the sum of the daily number of drinks multiplied by the average alcohol content per type of alcoholic beverage (12.8 g of alcohol per 12 oz serving of beer, 11.0 g per 4 oz serving of wine, and 14.0 g per standard serving of liquor). 15 Alcohol intake measured by the food frequency questionnaire was highly correlated with intake calculated from detailed food diaries completed by a sample of study participants (Spearman rank-correlation coefficient = 0.90) and with high-density lipoprotein levels (r=0.40). 16 Data on current alcohol consumption were updated in 1984, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, and 2006.
