The probability of an 30-70 year old Indian dying from the four main non-communicable diseases - diabetes, cancer, stroke and respiratory diseases - is 26 percent at present, according to the World Health Organization. According to the Global Status Report, Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) would claim nearly 52 million lives globally by the year 2030. Nearly 8.5 million people died of NCDs diseases in the WHO's South-East Asia Region in 2012. "This number is expected to grow larger if we do not act now to arrest this epidemic", it said.
She said most of the premature NCD deaths are preventable. Promoting simple lifestyle changes and diet modifications can bring about a change, she added. The WHO recommended that all countries implement the "best buys" interventions. These cost-effective, high-impact interventions include banning all forms of tobacco and alcohol advertising, reducing salt consumption, replacing trans fats with polyunsaturated fats, promoting and protecting breastfeeding, early detection and treatment of high blood pressure and preventing cervical cancer through periodic screening. Some of the targets set by the WHO include 30 percent relative reduction in mean population intake of salt, a 30 percent relative reduction in prevalence of current tobacco use in those aged more than 15 years and a 25 percent relative reduction in the prevalence of raised blood pressure.