Thursday, March 28, 2024
ADVT 
Health & Fitness

Lowering BP, sodium intake may cut 94 mn early deaths worldwide

IANS, 10 Jun, 2019 09:56 PM

    New York, June 10 (IANS) A worldwide effort to lower people's blood pressure, cut sodium intake and eliminate trans fat from their diet could prevent 94 million premature deaths from cardiovascular disease (CVD) over a quarter century, says a study.

    Regions expected to benefit most from the interventions include East Asia, the Pacific, and South Asia, as well as countries in sub-Saharan Africa, said the study published online in the journal Circulation.

    "Focusing our resources on the combination of these three interventions can have a huge potential impact on cardiovascular health through 2040," said lead author Goodarz Danaei, Associate Professor of Global Health at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

    For the study, the researchers used global data from multiple studies and estimates from the World Health Organization in making their calculations.

    They estimated that scaling up treatment of high blood pressure to 70 per cent of the world's population could extend the lives of 39.4 million people.

    Cutting sodium intake by 30 per cent could stave off another 40 million deaths and could also help decrease high blood pressure, a major risk factor for CVD.

    And eliminating trans fat could prevent 14.8 million early deaths.

    More than half of all delayed deaths, and two-thirds of deaths delayed before 70 years, are projected to be among men, the researchers found.

    The authors said a variety of programmes and policies would be necessary to reduce premature CVD-related deaths. One important strategy would be to increase use of blood pressure medications, many of which are safe and affordable.

    The researchers acknowledged that scaling up the three interventions would be a "huge challenge," requiring countries to commit additional resources to boost health care capacity and quality.

     

    MORE Health & Fitness ARTICLES

    Drugs make headway against lung, breast, prostate cancers

    Newer drugs are substantially improving the chances of survival for some people with hard-to-treat forms of lung, breast and prostate cancer, doctors reported at the world's largest cancer conference.

    Drugs make headway against lung, breast, prostate cancers

    British Columbians feel travelling outside Canada puts them at risk for vaccine preventable diseases

    Pharmacists urge travellers to get current on vaccinations before leaving the country    

    British Columbians feel travelling outside Canada puts them at risk for vaccine preventable diseases

    Beat The Heat

    The hottest season of the year is just around the corner! It is important to remember to take care of yourself and be mindful of the small steps you can take to enjoy the upcoming months to their fullest.

    Beat The Heat

    Cardio Comparison

    Your goal should be to find a form of cardio you enjoy, then to crank up the intensity of the workout as much as possible. 

    Cardio Comparison

    Summer Protection

    The easiest preventative measure to take, in order to still soak up the rays while staying safe, is sunscreen.

    Summer Protection

    To Vaccinate Or Not?

    Opting out can result in severe complications and even fatal outcomes – a state of being that could have been avoided.

    To Vaccinate Or Not?