Wednesday, October 14, 2026

Lancet Identifies 17 Major Threats To Global Health; India Faces All Of Them

A new report by The Lancet Commission on 21st Century Global Threats to Health has identified 17 major threats to global health and human survival, warning that decisions taken today could determine how much healthy life future generations lose to preventable illness, disability and premature death.

Published in The Lancet and launched at the World Health Summit in Berlin on October 11, 2026, the Commission’s assessment examines threats across 204 countries and territories. It draws on historical evidence and risk modelling by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) to assess how different policy decisions could affect health outcomes between 2025 and 2100. The assessment identifies all 17 threats as relevant to global health, with each country facing significant risks.

What Are The 17 Threats To Global Health?

The Commission identified the following 17 threats as having the potential to cause catastrophic health losses by 2100:

  • Air pollution
  • Antimicrobial resistance (AMR)
  • Childhood malnutrition
  • Climate change
  • Conventional conflict
  • Declining development assistance for health
  • High alcohol use
  • High blood pressure
  • Income inequality
  • Low educational attainment
  • Naturally occurring pandemics
  • Obesity
  • Poor mental health
  • Smoking
  • Unhealthy ageing
  • Malicious use of artificial intelligence (AI)
  • Nuclear conflict

The Commission defines a catastrophic threat using three criteria: it could account for at least one billion disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) by 2100, there is sufficient data to model it, and there is scope for policy intervention.

DALYs measure healthy years lost due to illness, disability or premature death. The Commission uses the measure to compare the potential health consequences of different threats and assess how much harm could be avoided through action.

Obesity Among The Largest Projected Health Burdens

Obesity is among the major threats identified by the Commission. Its modelling estimates that effective interventions could avert 23.1 billion DALYs associated with obesity by 2100.

Other threats include high blood pressure, smoking, antimicrobial resistance and poor mental health, alongside childhood malnutrition and unhealthy ageing. The inclusion of these conditions reflects the scale of their potential long-term health consequences and the scope for interventions to reduce them.

The Commission also identifies income inequality and low educational attainment as threats to health, underlining the importance of social and economic conditions in shaping health outcomes across populations.

Climate Change And Its Impact On Health

The Commission identifies climate change as a major threat that can cause direct health harms and intensify other risks. Its modelling estimates that limiting global warming to around 1.8°C, rather than allowing it to reach 4.4°C, could prevent 1.89 billion years of healthy life from being lost to direct effects, including extreme heat and air pollution.

The Commission cautions that this estimate captures direct harms that can currently be measured and excludes harder-to-quantify effects, including displacement, drought and mental health impacts. The actual health burden could therefore be greater.

Naturally occurring pandemics are also included among the 17 threats. The Commission’s assessment considers both the potential health impact of future pandemics and the role that preparedness and intervention could play in reducing losses.

AI And Nuclear Conflict Identified As Threats With Extinction Potential

The Commission identifies the malicious use of artificial intelligence and nuclear conflict as two threats with the potential to threaten human survival.

Although the likelihood of these events remains uncertain, the consequences could be catastrophic if they occur. The assessment includes these risks because of their potential scale and the possibility of taking action to reduce them.

The Commission estimates that action to prevent nuclear conflict could avert 133 million deaths and 9.35 billion DALYs by 2100. Measures to reduce the risk of malicious AI use could avert an estimated 10.4 billion DALYs.

These figures are modelled estimates of potentially avoidable losses, not predictions that the deaths or health losses will necessarily occur. The Commission notes that estimates for threats such as nuclear conflict and malicious AI carry greater uncertainty because historical data are limited.

Commission Calls For Greater Preparedness And Investment

The Commission recommends three broad measures to address the identified threats: building health systems equipped for prevention and preparedness, accelerating investment in innovation, and strengthening the monitoring and assessment of emerging risks.

The recommendations include increasing investment in vaccines, antibiotics, obesity treatments and climate technologies, alongside improving access to effective interventions. The Commission also calls for threats to be reassessed regularly and independently so that evidence can keep pace with changing risks.

Professor Christopher JL Murray, director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington and co-chair of the Commission, said the findings demonstrate that decisions made by leaders today will shape the health and wellbeing of future generations. He also emphasised that the threats are interconnected and should be addressed collectively rather than in isolation.

For India, the findings place existing public health challenges alongside longer-term risks involving climate change, conflict and emerging technologies. The Commission’s framework calls for coordinated action across health, finance, education, climate, defence and technology, with the aim of reducing preventable health losses over the coming decades.

 




This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for food, medicines, exercises and so on.   



 

 

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posted by G S Iyer at 8:15 AM 0 comments

Sunday, October 04, 2026

Experts stress early check ups, prevention, physical activity to cut heart disease risk

 Experts have called for greater focus on prevention and early detection of heart disease, urging people to undergo timely health check-ups, stay physically active and address risk factors such as diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity and tobacco use.

Speaking to PTI, renowned heart surgeon Dr Shriram Nene said heart disease remains a major health concern in India and globally, and people need to act on risk factors such as family history, diabetes, high blood pressure, physical inactivity and obesity.

“Honestly, heart disease is endemic in India and around the world. We need to shift the discussion from acute care to prevention, early recognition and early treatment. If that can be done, the world you live in will be better,” Dr Nene said.

Cardiac surgeon and Medanta chairman and managing director Dr Naresh Trehan said greater attention needs to be paid to heart health, particularly as younger people are increasingly being affected by heart attacks and cardiac arrests.

“On World Heart Day, we should pay attention to our own health, specifically our heart health. We know that India has a very high incidence of heart attacks, and a large number of people die from them,” Dr Trehan said.

He stressed the importance of knowing one’s family history and identifying risk factors early.

“If there is a family history of heart disease and diabetes, you should get a check-up before the age of 25,” Dr Trehan said, adding that even those without a family history should undergo a comprehensive health check-up before 30.

Advances such as genome sequencing, along with family history, biochemical parameters and lifestyle assessment, can help determine an individual’s risk profile, he said.

Public health expert Prof Monika Arora, Vice President-Research and Health Promotion Division at the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI), attributed the rise in cardiovascular diseases to changing lifestyles and dietary patterns.

“The increase in cardiovascular diseases we are seeing in India is a result of our changing lifestyles and the nutrition transition that our country has experienced, where we have moved from traditional diets to Western diets,” Monika said.

Monika also highlighted the cardiovascular risks associated with tobacco use, including smoking, smokeless tobacco and newer forms of nicotine addiction such as vapes.

Dr Amit Gupta, Executive, Global Metabolic Health Alliance, said controlling metabolic risk factors such as blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, cholesterol and fatty liver is important for preventing heart disease.

Today, I would like to focus on metabolic health. It includes factors such as blood pressure, cholesterol, fatty liver and body weight, which together determine our metabolic health. If we also have diabetes, the metabolic risk increases,” Dr Gupta said.

He also flagged childhood obesity as a growing concern and advised maintaining a healthy weight from an early age.

For elderly people, Dr Gupta recommended regular monitoring of blood sugar, blood pressure and weight, adherence to prescribed medicines and appropriate medical advice.

World Heart Day was observed globally on September 29 to raise awareness about cardiovascular diseases and the importance of prevention and early intervention.

 

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for food, medicines, exercises and so on.   

 

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posted by G S Iyer at 10:14 AM 0 comments