Reduce salt, stop smoking, consuming less alcohol, eating a balanced diet and playing sports lead to better health but could also prevent 37 million people from dying prematurely from non-communicable diseases, according to the results of a study published in the medical journal The Lancet.
Researchers at Imperial College London used data on risk factors and mortality trends in different countries. Scientists estimated the impact of six risk factors (smoking, alcohol and salt consumption, obesity, increased blood pressure and blood sugar) on the death rate from noncommunicable diseases between 2010 and 2025.
Less tobacco, alcohol and salt to improve your health
Halve tobacco consumption, 10% that ofalcohol, and by 30% the amount of salt or even reducing the number of people with hypertension by 25% would have a real impact on the death rate. Indeed, this would allow the probability of dying from non-communicable diseases between the ages of 30 and 70 to drop by 22% in men and by 19% in women between 2010 and 2025.
Achieving these goals would delay or prevent more than 37 million deaths (16 million among those aged 30 to 69 and 21 million among those aged 70 and over) from major noncommunicable diseases during these years. Next 15 years.
“Achieve these goals of healthier life would make it possible to accentuate the decline in mortality from cardiovascular diseases and chronic respiratory diseases, to reduce the number of deaths from lung and stomach cancer, and to reverse the trend in terms of mortality linked to diabetes, ”explains Professor Ezzati, one of the researchers and co-author of the study.
The results would be particularly visible in the poorest countries.
“If these goals were met, 31 million deaths would be delayed or prevented in low- and middle-income countries,” explains the scientist.
