New research looks into health issues that shorten life expectancies
A new global study on health has found heart disease to be the leading cause of premature death in Canada and around the world.
The results of a global project examining disease and mortality were recently published by the Lancet, reported CTV News. Aside from concluding that ischemic, or coronary, heart disease is the top cause of early deaths in Canada, the study determined that lung cancer and stroke are among the top ten diseases leading to shortened lifespans in the country.
Ischemic heart disease, in which narrowed arteries restrict blood and oxygen flow to the heart, was also found to be the leading reason for premature death in most regions around the world; it reportedly caused 9.48 million deaths globally in 2016. In low-income countries, however, lower-respiratory infections were the biggest factor.
Other diseases and health factors were studied. Diabetes was found to have caused 1.43 million deaths worldwide last year; tobacco accounted for 7.1 million deaths.
While infectious diseases decreased overall, dengue fever incidence rose in 2016, leading to 37,800 deaths. The number of deaths from drug-resistant tuberculosis rose by 67% compared to 2006 levels, reaching 10,900. HIV/AIDS took more than a million people’s lives, despite significant progress in treatment and outcomes as noted by the authors of the research.
Poor diet was a contributing factor in 18.8% of all global deaths. The most common risk factors identified were diets lacking in whole grains, fruits, nuts and seeds, and fish oils, as well as high-salt diets.
The average Canadian life expectancy was 83.9 years for women and 79.8 years for men, relatively unchanged from the durations reported in 2015.
Related stories:
Childhood cancer survivors more prone to disease than average people
Canada ranks third to last in global survey of healthcare systems
The results of a global project examining disease and mortality were recently published by the Lancet, reported CTV News. Aside from concluding that ischemic, or coronary, heart disease is the top cause of early deaths in Canada, the study determined that lung cancer and stroke are among the top ten diseases leading to shortened lifespans in the country.
Ischemic heart disease, in which narrowed arteries restrict blood and oxygen flow to the heart, was also found to be the leading reason for premature death in most regions around the world; it reportedly caused 9.48 million deaths globally in 2016. In low-income countries, however, lower-respiratory infections were the biggest factor.
Other diseases and health factors were studied. Diabetes was found to have caused 1.43 million deaths worldwide last year; tobacco accounted for 7.1 million deaths.
While infectious diseases decreased overall, dengue fever incidence rose in 2016, leading to 37,800 deaths. The number of deaths from drug-resistant tuberculosis rose by 67% compared to 2006 levels, reaching 10,900. HIV/AIDS took more than a million people’s lives, despite significant progress in treatment and outcomes as noted by the authors of the research.
Poor diet was a contributing factor in 18.8% of all global deaths. The most common risk factors identified were diets lacking in whole grains, fruits, nuts and seeds, and fish oils, as well as high-salt diets.
The average Canadian life expectancy was 83.9 years for women and 79.8 years for men, relatively unchanged from the durations reported in 2015.
Related stories:
Childhood cancer survivors more prone to disease than average people
Canada ranks third to last in global survey of healthcare systems
