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What does the future hold for the world? New wars, new pandemics, more earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, widespread water pollution with plastics, and soil contamination with chemicals? Does this sound too apocalyptic? Unfortunately, it’s not. But let’s leave most of these topics to environmentalists and political analysts and focus on issues we can influence. Because what awaits each of us personally is not a matter of geopolitics or luck, but the result of our own actions.
According to WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus, the latest global health statistics, covering data through 2022, revealed that the biggest challenge is not even the COVID-19 epidemic but the threat of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs).
Despite progress in healthcare, the WHO emphasizes that the rise in NCDs means that by 2050, chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes, and respiratory illnesses will account for 86% of all health issues, a staggering 90% increase in absolute numbers compared to 2019.
The WHO also highlights a stagnation in health progress on key indicators in recent years compared to the trends observed between 2000 and 2015 and calls for increased investments in healthcare. However, it’s doubtful this will make a significant impact, as official Eurostat data shows that spending on prevention in healthcare across Europe averages only 3%! But let’s not focus on the reasons, and instead, look at the prospects—and our future.
The first nationwide study on the prevalence of key risk factors for non-communicable diseases in Ukraine (STEPS, endorsed by WHO), conducted in 2019, revealed an alarmingly high prevalence of NCDs and their behavioral and biological risk factors, such as high alcohol and tobacco consumption (a third of Ukrainians are active smokers!), excessive salt intake, and insufficient consumption of fruits and vegetables. Despite relatively low levels of physical inactivity, obesity and overweight are widespread across the country. Meanwhile, in Europe, NCDs account for 89% of deaths and 84% of years lived with disability.
And if we add to this picture the declining birthrate, infectious diseases, and the grim forecasts related to the war?
Some Statistics:
In 2023, compared to 2021, one-third fewer children were born in Ukraine. Due to the war, the Institute of Demography and Social Studies of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine estimates that by 2037, the population of Ukraine will shrink to 30 million.
After several years of decline, tuberculosis rates are rising again. According to the director of the Poltava Regional Clinical Tuberculosis Dispensary, “The epidemic has returned. We had set ambitious goals, but the war has set us back 8-10 years.”
Other infections are also resurging. Even in other European countries, the spread of measles is alarming, with a rise of over 300%.
In the Mykolaiv region, tuberculosis rates increased by 35% and cancer by 3.8% in the past year.
By 2050, the number of cancer cases worldwide is expected to rise by 77%, particularly in low-income countries.
According to the Ministry of Health, diabetes cases in Ukraine increased by 8.4% in just one year.
According to the head of the Knowledge Center at the Center for Public Health, 60% of deaths in Ukraine are due to cardiovascular diseases. This is not surprising in a country where over 50% of the population consumes alcohol and more than 60% have poor diets.
Meanwhile, around 55% of cardiovascular diseases and 96% of diabetes cases could be prevented, as they are caused by modifiable factors!
So What Awaits Us?
Social and economic crises, diseases, deaths, and depopulation—unless each of us starts acting today. The Prime Minister of Ukraine believes that the solution lies in having three children per family. But we emphasize that the first step is to preserve your physical and mental resources. Without these, not only will having even one child be impossible, but your own survival is not guaranteed. Immunization, balanced nutrition, adequate sleep, and exercise are the bare minimum. Supplementation, mental health care, hormone management, and smart detoxification are the keys to avoiding becoming part of the grim statistics mentioned above.
How Can This Be Achieved?
Start by finding motivation and moving in the right direction. How urgently you need to act can be easily determined by the results of an online test. The Brussels Consultative Protocol survey will clearly show your current health level and what to expect in the near future. All it takes is 15 minutes and honest answers to the questions.
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