WEBVTT - How Will You Most Likely Die?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff. From How Stuff Works. Benjamin Franklin

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<v Speaker 1>famously said nothing certain but death and taxes, and so

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<v Speaker 1>far he's been half right. Hi, I'm Christian Sager, not

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<v Speaker 1>Ben Franklin. Spoiler alert, that guy's dead. And this is

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<v Speaker 1>the brain Stuff where we look at mortality, the big Sleep,

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<v Speaker 1>the end of the house party called life. Barring some

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<v Speaker 1>astonishing medical breakthrough, we're all going to croak, you, me,

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<v Speaker 1>even Nicholas Cage and unfortunately our producer Dylan. But how

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<v Speaker 1>there are a few ways to approach this question. First,

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<v Speaker 1>should we look at the deaths in a specific country

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<v Speaker 1>like the US or say China. While we can pull

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<v Speaker 1>some interesting statistics from a more narrowly defined study, doing

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<v Speaker 1>so means we're essentially ignoring the rest of the world.

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<v Speaker 1>So let's take a shot at the big Cahuna of

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<v Speaker 1>mortality studies, the Global Statistics on death. In the most

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<v Speaker 1>recent database available, found just five conditions were responsible for

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<v Speaker 1>of annual deaths. Can you guess which one led the pack?

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<v Speaker 1>If you thought something about heart disease, then congratulations, you

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<v Speaker 1>are correct. You're still going to die, but always remember

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<v Speaker 1>you died a winner. Cardiovascular diseases wiped out and estimated

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<v Speaker 1>seventeen point five million people in two thousand twelve, accounting

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<v Speaker 1>for thirty one percent of all deaths. Of these fatalities,

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<v Speaker 1>seven point four million were due to coronary heart disease

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<v Speaker 1>and six point seven million were due to stroke. Specifically,

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<v Speaker 1>that's s schemic heart disease, wherein there's a reduced blood

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<v Speaker 1>supply to the heart. The most common cause of schemic

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<v Speaker 1>heart disease is atherosclerosis. That's where a plaque made of fat, cholesterol, calcium,

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<v Speaker 1>and other substances builds up within your arteries. Eventually, dis

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<v Speaker 1>gunk hardens, reducing the amount of blood that can run

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<v Speaker 1>through your system, and this means less delicious necessary oxygen

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<v Speaker 1>reaches your organs. While some causes of death, such as AIDS,

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<v Speaker 1>have declined over time, heart disease is on the rise.

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<v Speaker 1>Why will. According to the World Health Organization, behavioral factors

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<v Speaker 1>play a huge role in this affliction. Smoking, drinking too

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<v Speaker 1>much booze, obesity, and a lack of physical activity can

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<v Speaker 1>all contribute to the most unpleasant and perhaps final surprise

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<v Speaker 1>of your life. Fortunately, experts around the globe are tackling

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<v Speaker 1>this problem together. The member states of WHO that's the

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<v Speaker 1>World Health Organization are working to achieve the goals created

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<v Speaker 1>in the oh so suavely named Global Action Plan for

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<v Speaker 1>the Prevention and Control of Non Communicable Diseases WHO. While

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<v Speaker 1>the title doesn't exactly roll off the tongue, the concept

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<v Speaker 1>is worthwhile. In the U s Alone, one out of

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<v Speaker 1>every four deaths are caused by heart disease, and many

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<v Speaker 1>people don't recognize the symptoms. Sure, one day we may

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<v Speaker 1>be able to replace our bodies or upload our minds

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<v Speaker 1>to the Internet, but for now, the one body you

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<v Speaker 1>have is the only one you're going to get, so

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<v Speaker 1>for now, take care of it. Check out the brainstuff

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<v Speaker 1>channel on YouTube, and for more on this and thousands

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<v Speaker 1>of other topics, visit how stuff works dot com.