Study: Modifiable Lifestyle Factors Responsible for a Lot of Unnecessary Deaths

Posted By elissa on Jul 2, 2009 | 2 comments

That’s basically the conclusion of a new report from researchers affiliated with the Harvard School of Public Health.

The goal of the study was to come up with estimated mortality risks from 12 modifiable health/lifestyle/dietary factors:  high blood glucose, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and blood pressure; overweight–obesity; high dietary trans fatty acids and salt; low dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids, omega-3 fatty acids (seafood), and fruits and vegetables; physical inactivity; alcohol use; and tobacco smoking.

Here’s the breakdown (both sexes):

• Tobacco Smoking: ~467,000/year
• High Blood Pressure: ~395,000/year
• Overweight-Obesity: ~216,000/year
• Physical Inactivity: ~191,000/year
• High Blood Glucose: ~190,000/year
• High LDL Cholesterol: ~113,000/year
• High Dietary Sodium: ~102,000/year
• Low Dietary Omega-3 Fatty Acids: ~84,000/year
• High Dietary Trans Fatty Acids: ~82,000/year
• Alcohol Use: ~64,000/year
• Low Intake of Fruits and Vegetables: ~58,000/year
• Low Dietary Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (as a replacement for saturated fats): ~15,000/year

With the exception of smoking, these are all either directly or indirectly diet/exercise-related.  Even worse, according to the researchers, “40% or more of all deaths attributable to high LDL cholesterol, overweight–obesity, high dietary trans fatty acids, low dietary PUFA and omega-3 fatty acids, low intake of fruits and vegetables, alcohol use, and smoking occurred before 70 y of age.”

Obviously, there’s a certain amount of uncertainty involved in making population estimates.  Nonetheless, those are pretty scary numbers.  It’s reasonably clear that a lot of lives are being shortened by factors that are, by and large, preventable, or at least modifiable.