"Of course, lots of people still die in the old ways. But the major killers now are a different set of enemies, a drab regiment marching under the banner of 'noncommunicable disease.' The big ones are cardiovascular ailments (heart attacks and stroke mostly); cancer; chronic lung diseases such as emphysema; and diabetes. There are many others — kidney failure, cirrhosis, arthritis — nearly as important.
"Fueled by behavior-driven epidemics of smoking, obesity and inactivity, they are taking a toll around the globe, hitting poor nations as well as the rich."
