Multiple Regression

Consider the relationship between yearly wine consumption (litres of alcohol from drinking wine per person) and yearly deaths from heart disease (deaths per 100,000 people) in 19 developed countries. Suppose that you read a newspaper article in which the reporter states the following:

'Researchers find that the correlation between yearly wine consumption and yearly deaths from heart disease is -0.84. Thus, it is reasonable to conclude that increased consumption of alcohol from wine causes fewer deaths from heart disease in industrialized societies.'

Discuss the reporter's interpretation of the correlation measure in this case.