Together – The causes of death have changed around the world. Previously, the main causes included infectious diseases and accidents, but with the advancement of the health care system, the greatest threat now lies in chronic non-communicable diseases.
In a noteworthy experiment, Russia is starting to implement its national project to increase the average life expectancy of the population to 78 years by 2030 by combating non-communicable diseases and unhealthy habits. The Russian government intends to start implementing this project, titled ‘Long and Active Life,’ by the beginning of next year, 2025, which was announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin last February during his annual address to the Federal Assembly.
The target life expectancy is about 5 years higher than the current average life expectancy (about 73.41 years), which requires a new, more flexible approach to the prevention of chronic non-communicable diseases, which are now the leading cause of death and disability among Russian citizens.
‘According to the World Health Organization, 41 million people die annually from non-communicable chronic diseases, which represents 74% of all deaths in the world,’ says Alexander Rozanov, director of the Society of Medical Experts on Risk Modification.
Rozanov explained that most deaths from chronic non-communicable diseases are due to four groups of diseases: cardiovascular diseases, which kill 17.9 million people each year, followed by cancers, which kill 9.3 million people. In third and fourth place are chronic respiratory diseases (4.1 million) and diabetes (2 million, including kidney disease caused by diabetes).
Global GDP is also losing about 15% annually due to illness and premature deaths of the world’s population alone, which is several times higher than the potential losses to the global economy from the coronavirus pandemic, according to experts from McKinsey Global Institute.
Several Russian studies have revealed that the main cause of chronic non-communicable diseases is an unhealthy lifestyle, and according to the biotechnology company Calico Life Sciences, which analyzed the genealogical links of more than 400 million people, it turned out that genes determine life expectancy by only 7%.
Tobacco smoking is the most aggressive risk factor for the development of non-communicable diseases, especially since it causes up to 15 types of cancer, while about 36% of deaths among men diagnosed with cancer are associated with this bad habit (smoking). Russia is also one of the top 5 countries in the world whose citizens smoke the largest number of cigarettes.
‘According to the international INTERHEART study, more than 90% of cardiac arrests are linked to behavioral risk factors such as tobacco smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity and excessive salt intake,’ says Reuven Zemlickman, director of the Brunner Institute for Cardiovascular Diseases.
Therefore, one of the most important periodic preventive measures, which the Russian government intends to develop within the framework of the national specialized project, is the identification of the main risk factors, as well as reminding the population of the basic principles of a healthy lifestyle, which include not smoking, not drinking alcohol, exercising, eating a balanced and varied diet, getting enough sleep, and monitoring the main blood indicators, glucose, lipids, and blood pressure.
The Russian government is focused on supplementing the existing specialized clinical principles with sections on risk factor modification, including sections on nicotine addiction treatment, as well as on controlling risk factors for the benefit of both parties: the state, business, doctors, and, most importantly, citizens themselves.’
Oncologist David Khayat confirms that until recently, 80% of doctors around the world believed that nicotine causes cancer, which is completely wrong. Nicotine may lead to addiction, but it does not cause cancer, and the real culprit for cancer caused by smoking are the toxic substances resulting from the burning of tobacco, which are released in huge quantities when a cigarette is burned.
Dr. Khayat continues that ‘smoke-free products’ that contain nicotine represent a less risky alternative to replace traditional cigarettes if a person does not want to quit smoking completely.
‘If the risk from a traditional cigarette is 1, the risk from an e-cigarette is 0.02,’ he continued. ‘In products that contain smokeless nicotine – like e-cigarettes and heated tobacco systems – there is no burning of tobacco, and this is nicotine in its almost pure form.’
Khayat explained that relying on alternative products is called a ‘risk reduction strategy,’ which involves reducing the impact of a certain risk on human life and health as much as possible, especially in some matters that cannot be eliminated in the near future. In recent years, this strategy has been actively tested and applied in different countries.
For example, in the UK, experts from the Royal College of Physicians published a report entitled ‘E-cigarettes and their harm reduction: a look at the evidence.’ The report concludes that e-cigarettes remain an important tool for reducing the harm of tobacco use, but it is important to reduce their attractiveness and accessibility.
The FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products also released reports on reduced-risk tobacco products in April. The report’s main conclusion was that no tobacco product is completely safe. But combustion-based tobacco products are the riskiest type of tobacco product. Alternative tobacco products that do not produce smoke are considered lower risk than traditional cigarettes.
David Khayat stressed that the future is not in banning products, but in embracing innovations and the concept of harm reduction, noting that people who suffer the consequences of their habits may not be willing or able to change them. That is why it is so important to increase reliance on the concept of harm reduction in the prevention of noncommunicable diseases and flexible measures. Smoke-free tobacco products are one of the best tools that can be used to help these people quit smoking.
Source: Maan News Agency