Three health interventions could prevent 94 million premature deaths

A worldwide effort to lower people’s blood pressure, cut their sodium intake, and eliminate trans fat from their diet could dramatically reduce the incidence of premature death from cardiovascular disease (CVD) over a quarter century, according to a new study. Published in the journal Circulation, researchers from Harvard Chan School used global data from multiple studies and estimates from the World Health Organization in making their calculations. They estimated that scaling up treatment of high blood pressure to 70% of the world’s population could extend the lives of 39.4 million people. Cutting sodium intake by 30% could stave off another 40 million deaths and