Gaby
Professor Anna Gilmore, head of the 21st Century Public Health Center at the University of Bath in the UK, led the research and shared these findings.
“To truly understand the impact, we need to look at the scale of the damage caused by tobacco, alcohol, unhealthy food, and fossil fuels. We estimate that these four factors account for one to two-thirds of all deaths worldwide,” the researcher noted. In 2021, 19 out of 56 million deaths on our planet were linked to these factors.
Tobacco
According to the study, smoking (including secondhand smoke) and chewing tobacco collectively kill more people than any other factor. Professor Gilmore confirmed that two out of three cigarette smokers ultimately die prematurely. Smoking increases the risk of cancer, heart attacks, strokes, hypertension, blood clots, and respiratory diseases.
Tobacco is responsible for about 20 percent of deaths not related to infectious diseases each year. The university team’s research revealed that in Europe alone, tobacco kills 1.15 million people annually.
Alcohol
Alcohol is also associated with exceptionally high mortality rates. Each year, 2.44 million people die worldwide due to alcohol-related issues. This accounts for approximately 4.4 percent of all deaths from non-communicable diseases, as reported by the Daily Mail.
Moreover, alcohol is a significant contributor to the high number of deaths resulting from accidents and injuries. Researchers estimate that 7 percent of all injury-related deaths are primarily linked to alcohol.
Food
This may seem somewhat surprising, but food is an even more common cause of premature death than alcohol. In 2021, 5.4 percent of all deaths worldwide were associated with “dietary risks,” which translates to more than three million people. These risks are primarily related to diets high in processed meats, salt, sugary beverages, and trans fats.
Excessive salt consumption is responsible for the highest number of deaths. The second leading dietary threat comes from products high in processed meats. Poor nutrition is one of the main contributors to chronic conditions such as obesity, hypertension, strokes, cardiovascular diseases, and certain types of cancer.
Professor Gilmore pointed out that manufacturers of unhealthy food products strive to make them more appealing and addictive to consumers.
Fossil Fuels
Air pollution from particulate matter generated by burning fossil fuels poses a serious health threat. Prolonged exposure to polluted air leads to the development of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, as well as lung cancer.
New research has shown that air pollution causes 8.34 million deaths globally each year, primarily due to lung and heart failure.
According to WHO estimates, in Europe, where air pollution levels are lower, burning fossil fuels results in approximately 580,000 deaths annually.
