The 9/11 event killed about 3,000 Americans. Since then, over 10 million Americans have died not because of age-related issues, most of them from causes that might have been prevented.
1. Heart disease killed between 2000-2005 3,119,142 Americans. Cases of death caused by heart disease are related to the obesity pandemics and metabolic syndrome that accompanies it. In 25 years the obesity rate doubled in US (reaching 33% and some say that by 2015 it could be 75 %!)
2. Smoking related diseases killed in the same period 2,652,000 Americans.
Cigarette smoking is the most preventable cause of premature death in the United States. Annually, over 400,000 Americans (276,000 men and 142,000 women) die from cigarette smoking. One in every five deaths in the US is smoking related, mostly lung cancer.
3. During this period 2,311,134 Americans died of different types of cancer, other than smoking related ones. 44,300 American women die annually of breast cancer, while in men, lung cancer and liver cancer are the most dangerous, in 90% of the cases related to alcohol consumption. 18.7 million Americans (7.7 % of the population) abuse of alcohol or are alcohol dependent.
4. 436,890 Americans died between 2000-2005 of diabetes. Most of the cases were type II (adult diabetes) linked to obesity and metabolic syndrome.
5. Medical mistakes killed 264,000 people in US during the same period, mostly by wrong medication.
6. Second-hand smoke is the culprit for 228,000 deaths amongst Americans in an interval of 5 years. Annually, second-hand smoke (environmental tobacco smoke) kills 3,000 people in US from lung cancer. Researches also link second-hand smoke with heart disease.
7. 180,000 Americans managed to commit suicide in the same period. 30,000 commit suicide annually, one at each 16 minutes and most have a diagnosable psychiatric disorder.
8. Obesity killed 154,884 US citizens in five years. Obesity is accompanied by two or three of these issues: diabetes and cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, elevated levels of the blood triglycerides (saturated fats) and low levels of the artery-protecting HDL cholesterol.
9. Lack of health care killed 108,000 Americans between 2000-2005.
10. Drunk driving is responsible for 102,000 deaths.
11. 96,000 Americans got killed in the same period (homicides). 2004 FBI data estimated a rate of 5.5 murders per 100,000 inhabitants, mainly by firearm.
12. Compare this with the 3,000 victims of the 9/11 events, when four U.S. planes hijacked by terrorists crashed into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania. This is not all about the sheer number of deaths: families, friends and co-workers who lived their personal drama were left behind.
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