According to a global study of health risks made by the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) it was found that people with high blood pressure have the highest risk of poor health and untimely death. This disease has caused over 9.4 million early deaths in 2010, with smoking and alcohol consumption getting the second and third spot, causing 6.3 million and 5 million early deaths respectively.
An unhealthy diet such as use of too much salt in food or a genetic predisposition are the main reasons for an increase in blood pressure, which increases the risk of a stroke. While high blood pressure and tobacco can be blamed for 7 percent and 6.3 percent of global DALY (Disability Adjusted Life Years), alcohol causes around 5.5 percent. DALY is an international standard for measuring the amount of poor health a person suffers.
Drinking not only causes diseases like liver cancer, liver cirrhosis, cancer of the esophagus but also leads to accidents caused by drunken driving and other fatal incidents as a result of intoxication. A poor diet, lack of exercise and fruit intake, high intake of sodium in food and internal pollution in homes are the major reasons for poor health, physical disability and early deaths across the world.
