New research published in The Lancet has revealed that reducing six risk factors could prevent over 37 million deaths from the four main non-communicable diseases by 2025.

The 2011 UN agreement to reduce deaths globally from the four main diseases - chronic respiratory diseases, cancers, and diabetes - by 25% from the 2010 levels is known as the 25×25 target.

The study undertaken by Professor Majid Ezzati from Imperial College London, 'Contribution of six risk factors to achieving the 25×25 non-communicable disease mortality reduction target: a modelling study', assessed the impact of achieving global targets which have been set for six risk factors: tobacco and alcohol use, salt intake, obesity, and raised blood pressure and glucose on the 25×25 target.

Dr Fiona Sim, Chair of RSPH, appearing on Sky News welcomed the research which sets clear targets and consequences if governments do not adhere to the targets, namely 37 million preventable deaths from the main four non-communicable diseases.

Dr Sim said: “It is vital that we work together advocating and encouraging governments to respond to this study and focus on deriving measures to achieve them. The economic benefits of a healthy population are far-reaching and we must focus on communicating these messages in addition to ensuring governments work alongside commerce and industry to find incentives for all parties that serve the long term health of the population.”

She added: “The study further points to a necessary change in our approach to health, to start to work upstream looking at the prevention of diseases which will have huge economic and health gains and should be just as important as improving health through managing long term conditions.”