ABSTRACT
Coronary heart disease is the single-most common cause of death in Europe, accounting for 1.92 million deaths each year. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates, 16.6 million people around the globe die of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) each year. CVD causes over 4.3 million deaths in Europe and over 2 million deaths in the European Union (EU). In 2005, stroke caused 5.7 million deaths worldwide. Stroke is the second-most common cause of death in the EU and the third leading cause of death in Canada. Tobacco use studies in 2006 found that 23% of men and 21% of women of all ages smoked cigarettes. The mortality from coronary heart disease was 60% higher in smokers and 80% percent higher in heavy smokers. The WHO estimates that more than 1.9 billion adults were overweight and more than 650 million adults were obese by 2016 worldwide.
