Reaching globally-agreed targets for health risks, such as smoking and alcohol, could prevent more than 37 million deaths by 2025, according to an international study led by Imperial College London.
In 2011, the UN General Assembly agreed to reduce deaths from the big-four chronic diseases which include cancers, diabetes, lung disease and cardiovascular disease (mainly heart disease and stroke). The World Health Organization (WHO) created targets for both premature deaths from these chronic diseases and their key risk factors like smoking, alcohol use, high blood pressure and blood glucose, obesity and salt consumption. The researchers analysed the effects of achieving these targets for risk factor on deaths from the four major chronic diseases.
The study shows that the big-four chronic diseases killed over 28 million people in 2010, a number that is projected to increase to 39 million in 2025 if no new action is taken.
However, if the six risk factor targets are achieved, the risk of dying prematurely from chronic diseases in 2025 will go down by 22% for men and by 19% for women compared to their 2010 levels. This corresponds to preventing more than 37 million deaths between 2010 and 2025, including 16 million deaths among those who are younger than 70 years and whose deaths are considered premature.
