What are the preventative steps for avoiding these top 20 causes of
death (based on this subgroup: White, Non-Hispanic, Male, Aged 24 and
up)?

         Rank   Deaths    Cause of Death
         1       280,824  Heart Disease
         2       236,250  Malignant Neoplasms
         3       53,565   Chronic Low. Respiratory Disease
         4       49,781   Cerebrovascular
         5       41,805   Unintentional Injury 
         6       25,210   Diabetes Mellitus
         7       23,762   Influenza & Pneumonia
         8       18,991   Suicide 
         9       15,399   Alzheimer's Disease
         10      14,812   Nephritis
         11      12,784   Liver Disease
         12      10,987   Septicemia
         13       8,838   Parkinson's Disease
         14       7,814   Aortic Aneurysm
         15       7,633   Pneumonitis
         16       5,523   Benign Neoplasms
         17       5,316   Hypertension
         18       4,507   Atherosclerosis
         19       3,572   HIV
         20       2,817   Homicide 

For instance, a preventative step for suicide would be to regularly
attend counseling.

I am most interested in the top 5.

Hi,

1. To reduce heart disease risk:

Coronary Heart Disease: Reducing Your Risk
http://familydoctor.org/239.xml

Can a Mediterranean-Style Diet Reduce Heart Disease?
http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/103/13/1821

Chocolate Helps Improve Blood Flow Reduce Heart Disease
http://www.healthtalk.ca/chocolate_08302004_9032.php

Exercise Reduces Heart Disease Risk
http://www.annecollins.com/diet-news/exercise-types-heart.htm


2. Malignant Neoplasm is a fancy name for cancer. Reducing risks:
	
Diet: Food Choice Recommendations for Reducing Cancer Risk
http://familydoctor.org/301.xml

Walking, Cycling to Work May Reduce Cancer Risk
http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/28127/story.htm
   	
Common Questions About Diet and Cancer
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/ped/content/ped_3_2x_common_questions_about_diet_and_cancer.asp

Nutrition to Reduce Cancer Risk
http://cancer.stanfordhospital.com/healthInfo/nutritionAndCancer/reduceRisk/

Reduce Cancer Risks
http://www.stayinginshape.com/3sjhnh/libv/c09.shtml


3. Chronic Low, Respiratory Disease is mostly related to smoking. Reducing risks:

Reducing Your Risk of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
http://community.healthgate.com/GetContent.asp?siteid=holycross&docid=/cid/copd/reduce

Quoted from:

WHO strategy for prevention and control of chronic respiratory diseases [pdf 113kb]
http://whqlibdoc.who.int/hq/2002/WHO_MNC_CRA_02.1.pdf

"Multiple determinants serve to increase the burden of CRDs. The
direct and indirect exposure to tobacco smoke is the principal risk
factor for its development. Other important factors include heavy
exposure to air pollution derived from indoor and outdoor sources,
occupational related disorders, malnutrition and low birth weight,
and multiple early lung infections.
Studies undertaken over the last three decades provide growing
evidence of an increase in atopic diseases and sensitisation to common
allergens. Prevalence of asthma is increasing, most rapidly among
children, especially where urbanisation is taking place. Such factors as
exposure to tobacco smoke, housing with poor ventilation, indoor
allergens, viral infections, outdoor air pollution, and chemical irritants
are under investigation. Conversely, there exists evidence that cleaner
environments present in modern cities understimulate post-natal
immune systems, leading to over-sensitization."


4. Reducing Cerebrovascular disease risks (fancy name for a stroke):

Prevention of Recurrent Heart Attacks and Strokes in Low and Middle
Income Populations
http://www.gfmer.ch/Medical_education_En/PGC_RH_2004/Pdf/Secon_Pre.pdf

Stroke
http://www.truestarhealth.com/Notes/1277008.html

WHAT IS A STROKE? (look for WHAT ARE THE RISK FACTORS FOR A STROKE?)
http://www.reutershealth.com/wellconnected/doc45.html

Cerebrovascular disease
http://www.svunet.org/publications/cerebrovascular.pdf

Preventing a stroke
http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/conditions/stroke/prevention_index1.shtml

Some good links here:

Cerebrovascular Accident
http://omni.ac.uk/browse/mesh/C0038454L0007816.html


5. Unintentional injuries:

Leading Causes of Unintentional Injury Deaths United States, 2001
http://www.nsc.org/library/rept2000.htm

Accidents/Unintentional Injuries
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/acc-inj.htm

10 Leading Causes of Unintentional Injury Deaths by Age Group ? 1999
http://www.rsf-fire.org/assets/documents/education/safety/3.Leading%20Causes%20of%20Unintentional%20Injury%20Death.1999.pdf

The main causes seem to be motor accidents, poisoning and falls. So
drive carefully, don't eat anything that looks suspicious and be
careful on stairs and when walking on slippery surfaces.


If you need any more information, please do not hesitate to ask.

Thanks.
endo

---

Clarification of Answer by endo-ga on 30 Nov 2004 16:34 PST

Search Strategy was to use the keywords "Reduce" and "risk" and the
name of the disease.

e.g. reduce heart disease risk
://www.google.com/search?q=reduce+heart+disease+risk

Thanks.
endo

Perfect!  I'll have to sort through those and adjust my lifestyle to
suit.  Avoiding the leading causes = longer life!

Thanks endo.

Great question!

Thanks!

I remember reading a quote in WIRED magazine which said that no one
ever dies of old age; what happens is their age weakens them to the
point that something else can finally kill them.

Also, read in a fact book that without certain nutrients, conditions
will arise.  One that comes to mind is that without enough Iron,
Anemia develops.  In other words, most conditions are avoidable.

While omnivorous' research suggests that extreme long life is mostly
attributable to genes
(http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=404928), it seems
clear to me that the odds for a longer life can be substantially
increased with a little research and the discipline to stick to
preventative habits.

At least, that's my line of thinking...

You can start by not smoking, not drinking alcohol. Eat fatty fish and
olive oil. Avoid foods with saturated fats. Don't live next to a busy
street or a polluted city.

Eat a varied diet with lots of fruits and vegetables, drink 8 cups of
water a day, exercise for thirty minutes a day, sleep enough and in
regular patterns. Avoid stress, avoid prolonged direct exposure to the
sun.

For point 5, don't go outside and don't keep anything sharp in your
home. Avoid using stairs and walking on slippery surfaces.

Thanks.
endo

Great suggestions!  They reinforce my current lifestyle.  I eat a
perfectly balanced diet (per American Heart Association standards),
don't smoke, drink about a beer a month, am training for a marathon,
don't get much sun, and don't have much stress.

This comment struck me though: "Don't live next to a busy street or a
polluted city."  For peace of mind, I'm MUCH more content in a large
city. Small town gossip and boredom drive me nuts. What are the
reasons for avoiding busy streets and polluted cities?

Hi,

The reasons are pollution and noise.
Cars emit lots of cancerinogenic substances. I read about a recent
study that showed an impact on health for people living near busy
streets. There's also the noise that will affect your sleep and
increases stress.

Also, brush your teeth well, use floss, it removes bacteria from your gums.
Avoid salt, sugar, processed foods. Eat lots of fiber (15-20g), keep
your liver and heart happy, make sure you get enough zinc (15-30mg)
and vitamin C (100mg).

Are you looking for many more suggestions or would you be happy with
the above as an answer?

Thanks.
endo

I'm looking for itemized responses as an answer.  For instance, a link
to a page describing what activities have been proven to reduce the
risk of heart disease...

I find it interesting that the top 2 causes account for 62% of the deaths.

1 Heart Disease		      	        280,824	34%
2 Malignant Neoplasms		        236,250	28%
3 Chronic Low. Respiratory Disease	53,565	6%
4 Cerebrovascular		        49,781	6%
5 Unintentional Injury 		        41,805	5%
6 Diabetes Mellitus		        25,210	3%
7 Influenza & Pneumonia		        23,762	3%
8 Suicide 		        	18,991	2%
9 Alzheimer's Disease		        15,399	2%
10 Nephritis		    	        14,812	2%
11 Liver Disease		      	12,784	2%
12 Septicemia		        	10,987	1%
13 Parkinson's Disease		        8,838	1%
14 Aortic Aneurysm		        7,814	1%
15 Pneumonitis		        	7,633	1%
16 Benign Neoplasms		        5,523	1%
17 Hypertension	        	        5,316	1%
18 Atherosclerosis		        4,507	1%
19 HIV	        	        	3,572	0%
20 Homicide 		        	2,817	0%

I wonder how may of these causes can be addressed by the tripe whammy
of excercise, healthy eating and stress reduction.

True augusta!  Most of them can probably be avoided by exercise,
nutrition, and stress reduction.  That and regular checkups to catch
some of this stuff while it's in the early stages.  I read a statistic
that cervical cancer only has a 71% survival rate; but if you catch it
early you have nearly 100% chance of surviving.  That's quite a
difference!

'Unintentional injury' is a real killer ...

Recently, I heard of a man playing with his two small kids and a kite.
They were on top of a cliff and he stepped off it backwards.

But how can anyone avoid something that was unintentional?

Hi,

I presume that this figures are for the US and not for the
whole world? I think that cause no 19 (HIV) may become one 
of the top ones in the world as it is in Africa, if people
don't stop leading recless sexual lifestyles. Since sex is 
one  of  the  most  effective  excercises, health concious 
people might fall prey to HIV...

Yes, these statistics are in the U.S.  As a comment about health
conscious people being at risk of AIDS because they have sex for
exercise, something to consider is that if they are that health
conscious, they are more likely to use protection and be open to being
tested prior to sexual contact.