Exclusive: Three risky behaviours can mean people dying 20 years earlier than they should, says senior doctor
One in 50 people aged 16 or older in England are at risk of an early death because they smoke, drink too much and are overweight, research has found.
This “triple threat” increases the risk of diseases such as cancer and diabetes and in some cases means people dying 20 years earlier than they should, a senior doctor has said.
About 1 million people in England are living with that threat, an analysis of the Health Survey for England by the charity Action on Smoking and Health (Ash) has revealed. They are the 2.2% of the population who use tobacco, drink more than 14 units of alcohol a week and are overweight or obese, as judged by having a body mass index (BMI) of 25 or more.
However, 10 million – 22% of the population – exhibit two of the three risky behaviours, Ash found, while 33.9 million (73.6%) have at least one risk factor.
