Research
Mixed
Tobacco smoking and high blood pressure are the leading preventable causes of death in the US, responsible for approximately 467,000 and 395,000 deaths respectively in 2005.
Focus on controlling blood pressure and avoiding tobacco as the highest-impact actions for longevity. These two factors alone account for roughly 20% of all adult deaths in the US, surpassing the combined impact of most dietary risks.
StrongSupportsHIGH confidence
In 2005, tobacco smoking and high blood pressure were responsible for an estimated 467,000 (95% confidence interval [CI] 436,000–500,000) and 395,000 (372,000–414,000) deaths, accounting for about one in five or six deaths in US adults.
Why this rating
Uses nationally representative surveys, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses with adjusted relative risks.
Source
Correction: The Preventable Causes of Death in the United States: Comparative Risk Assessment of Dietary, Lifestyle, and Metabolic Risk Factors
Goodarz Danaei et al. · PLoS Medicine · 2011
DOI 10.1371/annotation/0ef47acd-9dcc-4296-a897-872d182cde57
Meta-analysisCited 16×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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