What saved 20 million lives in the US and could save 100 million globally?

By Dr. Tom Frieden

Article originally shared on my blog: https://www.drtomfrieden.net/blog/tom-frieden-20-million-deaths-averted

At its peak in the 1960s, heart disease killed 1 in 100 people over age 35 in the United States every year. Then death rates began to drop, and, remarkably, continued to do so until 2010. This decrease—the result of both public health interventions and improved medical care—saved more than 20 million lives and accounted for three-quarters of the increase in life expectancy in the United States. In recent years, progress has stalled. There is much more that can be done to prevent heart attack and stroke. In the United States and around the world, governments can tax tobacco, alcohol, and sugary drinks, improve the availability of healthy food, and incentivize primary health care systems to improve blood pressure control and cholesterol treatment. Health systems and medical providers can prioritize blood pressure control, which can save more lives than any other adult health care intervention. Individuals can feel better and live longer by getting more physical activity (walk for transit and fun), eating healthier food with less sodium, avoiding tobacco and second-hand smoke, and taking medications for as long as needed.

Tom Frieden, M.D., is president and CEO of Resolve to Save Lives, a global nonprofit initiative housed at Vital Strategies that works with countries to prevent 100 million deaths and make the world safer from epidemics. He is the former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and former commissioner of the New York City Health Department.