Between 1990 and 2013, deaths due to preventable factors such asarterial hypertension where the tobacco increased by 23% and amounted to 30 million in 2013. These are the conclusions of thestudy published Friday September 11, 2015 in the British journal The Lancet.
Scientists reviewed 79 behavioral, environmental or occupational risk factors in 188 countries.
High blood pressure: more than 10 million deaths worldwide
THE’arterial hypertension, which is a major risk of cardiovascular disease and can easily be controlled, was the first preventable risk in 2013, contributing to more than 10 million deaths worldwide.
Tobacco comes second in risk factors associated with death, ahead of obesity and excessively high blood sugar levels.
Dietary factors responsible for 21% of deaths
In addition to these already well identified risks, the authors of the study have for the first time highlighted a combination of 14 dietary factors that would, according to them, be responsible for 21% of deaths in the world in 2013, mainly through cardiovascular illnesses.
Among them is a diet poor in fruits or vegetables and too rich in meat, salt and sugary drinks.
Risks vary by gender and country concerned
Deaths from preventable risk factors vary by gender, age and country. While the smoking comes second for men with 4.4 million deaths worldwide in 2013, it comes only sixth for women with 1.4 million deaths.
In Africa, malnutrition in children under 5 is the leading risk factor, with 1.3 million deaths in 2013. On the other hand, obesity is the number one risk in the Middle East and Latin America while indoor air pollution plays an important role in South and Southeast Asia.
In sub-Saharan Africa, the risks are dominated by a combination of child malnutrition, contaminated water, unprotected sex and alcoholism.
What solutions to avoid the risk of death?
“It wouldn’t occur to us not to change the oil in his car, but when it comes to his own body, we don’t pay as much attention,” says Ali Mokdad, one of the authors. of the study.
“There is great potential to improve health by avoiding certain risks such as smoking or unhealthy diet as well as by tackling environmental risks such as air pollution”, underlines Dr Christopher Murray, of the University of Washington, study coordinator.
Read also :
– Stop smoking: do it for your loved ones
– Hypertension: soon a vaccine?
