Leading Causes of

Death in the United

States
Tom Hatch
4/15/15

Objectives
Students will be able to identify the three leading causes of

death in the United States

Students will be able to identify the factors that increase the
chances of dying from the leading causes
Students will be able to identify ways to reduce the risk of
dying from each cause

The Causes

Can you guess the top 3?

#1 Heart Disease

611,105 Americans died in 2013 from heart disease

According to some, 99% of those deaths are 100%
preventable

HOW?
First we have to examine what is heart disease and what

causes it
Heart Disease is commonly seen as atherosclerosis
Atherosclerosis occurs when plaques of cholesterol form
in blood vessels restricting blood flow

What causes Heart Disease

Heart Disease is caused mainly by the consumption of

dietary cholesterol and smoking
Dietary Cholesterol is only found in animal products

The Link Between Heart Disease and

Animal Products
Having a high cholesterol level (above 200 mg/dl) puts a person at risk for

developing coronary artery disease

Every 100 mg of cholesterol in your daily diet adds roughly five points to
your cholesterol level according to the pcrm.org
One egg can raise your cholesterol by up to 10 points because it contains 200
mg of cholesterol
Plant foods do not contain cholesterol because they dont have livers

Heart Disease is Preventable and

Reversible

Dr. Esselstyn was the first to show how eating a whole-food

plant-based diet can stop and even reverse the progression
of heart disease
He understood the link between eating a diet rich in animal
products and heart disease
Forks Over Knives clip 52.00 minute mark

#2 Cancer

According to the CDC 584,881 people died from cancer

in 2013
The National Cancer Institute states that 80% of cancers
are due to factors that have been identified and can
potentially be controlled

Cancer Causes

30% of cancer deaths are caused by Tobacco

According to the American Cancer Society about one
third of annual cancer deaths in the U.S. are due to
dietary factors!!!!

Cancer Causing Carcinogens

Carcinogens are substances that directly cause cancer by

affecting the genome or cellular metabolic processes

Two types of carcinogens that are linked to higher rates of
colorectal, pancreatic, breast, and prostate cancer are
HCAs and PAHs

HCAs and PAHs

Heterocyclic amines (HCAs) are created during cooking/grilling ANY kind of

meat
Natural amino acids + sugars + creatine + heat =HCAs
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are created when fat drips onto an open
flame causeing a flash and sizzle that sears the chemical into the surface of
the meat
This doesnt happen when cooking vegetables

Antioxidants

Antioxidants help prevent cancer cell creation by blocking the activity of free

radicals which can cause cancer by damaging cells

Vitamin C, E, beta-carotene, and selenium are all examples of antioxidants
Fruits, vegetables, beans, and grains all contain antioxidants

#3 Hospitals

About 440,000 Americans die each year from preventable medical errors

according to a study in the Journal of Patient Safety

The CDC doesnt report this, it lists the #3 leading caused of death is Chronic
lower respiratory diseases at 149,205
Why dont they report it? People would probably panic.

The Errors

Infections, surgical errors, overdoses, misdiagnoses, and unnecessary

procedures are just a few examples

Be an educated patient

Summary
The leading causes of death in America are:

#1Heart Disease
#2Cancer
#3Hospitals

Heart Disease and Cancer rates can reduced significantly by eliminating

Tobacco and avoiding eating animal products

Avoiding unnecessary surgeries and staying informed as a patient can help
reduce error risk

References
http://www.pcrm.org/health/
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/leading-causes-of-death.htm
http://www.masseyattorneys.com/medical-mistakes-is-the-thir

d-leading-cause-of-death
/
http://www.forbes.com/sites/leahbinder/2013/09/23/stunningnews-on-preventable-deaths-in-hospitals
/