What are the Top Actual Causes of Preventable Death?
Most people would probably say tobacco and motor vehicle accidents. However, according to the information below, the number two reason has to do with what you eat and your level of activity. I'm probably as shock as you are to see this!
Top Nine Actual Causes of Preventative Death |
| 1 | Tobacco Use (smoking) |
| 2 | Poor Diet and Physical Inactivity |
| 3 | Alcohol Consumption |
| 4 | Microbial Agents |
| 5 | Toxic Agents |
| 6 | Motor Vehicle Crashes |
| 7 | Incidents Involving Firearms |
| 8 | Sexual Behaviors |
| 9 | Illicit Use of Drugs |
These are the results of a study in the United States for the year 2000.
Source: Mokdad, Ali H., Marks, James S. and Stroup, Donna F. et. al. Actual Causes of Death in the United States, 2000. JAMA 2004; 291:1238-1245.
Preventable Causes of Death Update
The above study was based on data collected in 2000. That was over a decade ago! In a more recent study published in the Public Library of Science in 2009, we can see that poor dietary choices and physical inactivity continue to contribute to a large percentage of deaths.
In summary, preventable deaths are related to the following top 12 factors (highest to lowest). As you can see, most of the factors are related to dietary choices. Life is made up of daily choices. Do you choose healthy living or early death?
(highest) smoking
high blood pressure
overweight - obesity
inadequate physical activity and inactivity
high blood sugar
high LDL cholesterol
high dietary salt
low dietary omega-3 fatty acids (seafood)
high dietary trans fatty acids
alcohol use
low intake of fruits and vegetables
(lowest) low dietary polunsaturated fatty acids
Source: Danaei, Ding, Mozaffarian, Taylor, Rehm, Murray, Ezzati. The Preventable Cause of Death in the United States: Comparative Risk Assessment of Dietary, Lifestyle, and Metabolic Risk Factors. PLoS Medicine, April 28, 2009.
