Guess: Most Preventable Deaths - What's the Cause?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the causes of preventable deaths globally, with participants exploring various factors contributing to mortality rates, including smoking, obesity, hypertension, and malnutrition. The conversation touches on both statistical data and personal reflections on the implications of these causes.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Exploratory

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants propose that smoking is a leading cause of preventable deaths, while others note it ranks second globally.
  • One participant cites a source indicating that hypertension is the leading cause of preventable deaths worldwide, contrasting this with data suggesting obesity is the leading cause in the U.S.
  • There is a discussion about the shift in causes of preventable deaths, with some attributing it to a decrease in smoking rates and an increase in obesity.
  • Participants express concern over the coexistence of malnutrition and obesity among the top causes of preventable deaths.
  • One participant highlights that a significant number of deaths are due to non-preventable causes related to aging, suggesting that biological aging is a major factor in mortality.
  • Another participant comments on the disparity in causes of death, noting the irony of some dying from lack of food while others suffer from overconsumption.
  • One participant mentions the impact of mosquito-borne diseases and the lack of mosquito nets as another significant factor in preventable deaths, although specific numbers are not provided.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the leading causes of preventable deaths, with no consensus reached on a singular cause. The discussion reflects a range of perspectives on the implications of these causes and the broader context of mortality.

Contextual Notes

Participants reference various sources and statistics, but the discussion does not resolve the complexities of the data or the definitions of preventable deaths. The conversation includes assumptions about the relationships between smoking, obesity, and other health factors.

theoristo
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Can you guess what's the cause of most of the preventable deaths around the world?
 
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smoking?
 
Don't need to guess. Looked it us with Google in 3 seconds.
 
Pythagorean said:
smoking?

Close. That's #2
 
phinds said:
Don't need to guess. Looked it us with Google in 3 seconds.

Wiki says worldwide, it's hypertension.

What's interesting to me is that in the U.S. this study says it's obesity:

http://www.examiner.com/article/res...is-now-leading-cause-of-preventable-death-u-s

Worldwide, obesity is way down on the list.

Also, from the above link,
They write that the shift in the relative impact of obesity and smoking has been caused both by a reduction, since 1993, in the number of Americans who smoke and an increase, during the same period, in the number of people who are obese.

There's an implication that people who quit smoking turned to food.
 
I find it incredibly depressing that malnutrition and obesity are both in the top ten.
 
Ryan_m_b said:
I find it incredibly depressing that malnutrition and obesity are both in the top ten.

Yes, but note that the majority of people worldwide end up dying from non-preventable old age:

It is estimated that of the roughly 150,000 people who die each day across the globe, about two thirds—100,000 per day—die of age-related causes.[2] In industrialized nations the proportion is much higher, reaching 90%.[2] Thus, albeit indirectly, biological aging (senescence) is by far the leading cause of death. Whether senescence as a biological process itself can be slowed down, halted or even reversed, is a subject of current scientific speculation and research.
 
zoobyshoe said:
Yes, but note that the majority of people worldwide end up dying from non-preventable old age:

I know, it's just the stupidity of a world where some people die from lack of food whilst others die from too much food.
 
Ryan_m_b said:
I know, it's just the stupidity of a world where some people die from lack of food whilst others die from too much food.
I must agree.
 

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