Over 61 per cent deaths due to lifestyle ills: Report

Lifestyle or non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are responsible for more than 61 per cent deaths, the latest report of the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has revealed. The study also found that lifestyle diseases such as obesity, mental health, cancer and heart disease are major killers in India.

“More than 1.73 million new cancer cases likely to be recorded each year by 2020, air pollution, tobacco, alcohol and diet change are primary triggers,” according to the report. The report said that every 12th Indian is a diabetic with India ranking second in the list of countries with the highest number of diabetes patients.

Highlighting links between air pollution and mental disease, the CSE report also stated that air pollution causes 30 per cent of premature deaths in India while every third child in Delhi has impaired lungs.

The CSE report, in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO), however said that much more investment is required for India. The WHO said that there are four major risk factors for NCDs i.e. alcohol, tobacco, poor diet intake, and lack of physical activity.

Sunita Narain, director general, CSE, said, “We believe that the cost in treating these disorders is going to be much higher considering that risk factors (in India) are many more than the four identified by the global body.”

Highlighting the reasons behind this, Ms Narain said, “The identified risk factors such as alcohol, tobacco, poor diet, and lack of physical activity have multiple targets and can cause diseases which are not generally linked to them. For example, exposure to pesticides is known to cause cancer, but new data is emerging to link it to diabetes as well.”

Similarly, air pollution is known to cause Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases (COPDs), but there is little understanding about how it can adversely affect mental health.