Our Scans · Mortality · Weekly Summary

• [New] Australian researchers confirmed that people eating diets that emphasise refined grains, potatoes, high-sodium preserved vegetables, fried goods, sweets, juices, and sweetened beverages experienced higher risk of coronary heart diseases and mortality. FoodNavigator-Asia.com
• [New] NCDs strongly linked to tobacco account for 24% of all NCD deaths in China, significantly higher than the global percentage of 15% and twice the global average risk-attributable mortality rate. PubMed Central (PMC)
• [New] Uterine cancer mortality has been increasing since the mid-2000s, and the mortality rate is expected to be 53% higher in 2026 than it was in 2005 (7.5 per 100000 in 2026 v. 4.9 per 100000 in 2005). CMAJ
• In Japan, more than 70% of life expectancy gains could be attributed to declines in mortality at ages 65 and over at the end of the observation period. PubMed Central (PMC)
• In 2022, 70813 persons died of an unintentional fentanyl overdose, a 31-fold increase over the 2139 deaths that occurred in 2012; the age-adjusted mortality rate increased similarly. PubMed Central (PMC)
• High Socio-Demographic Index (SDI) regions face elevated DM and neoplasm rates due to aging populations and lifestyle risks, while low SDI settings suffer higher CRD mortality from environmental exposures. PubMed Central (PMC)
• Cardiovascular diseases remain the leading cause of NCD mortality, projected to account for 86.1% of deaths by 2050, driven by persistent metabolic risks like hypertension. PubMed Central (PMC)
• The highest mortality rates are projected in East and South Asia, with DPR Korea, China, and India among the most affected. PubMed Central (PMC)
• In an analysis of the UK Biobank cohort, Celis-Morales and colleagues found that men and women with a brisk walking pace had a 21% and 27% reduced risk of all-cause mortality, respectively, compared to slow pace walkers. PubMed Central (PMC)
• The expansion of HPV vaccination to girls in many LMICs, the continued rollout of pneumococcal vaccines, and the progress on new rotavirus vaccine candidates with the potential to perform better in high-mortality settings, all reflect a global immunization community that has not given up. PubMed Central (PMC)
• The United Nations set an ambitious goal to reduce premature mortality from NCDs by one-third by 2030, a target that is unachievable without universal access to essential diagnostic imaging. Philips
• One hundred years later, after decades of decline, US maternal morbidity and mortality rates are rising, and rural mothers are at increased risk for severe adverse outcomes - especially Black women in the rural South. PubMed Central (PMC)
• By 2056, the sex ratio of the Australia-born older population is projected to have increased, reflecting assumed convergence of male and female mortality rates over time. PubMed Central (PMC)
• A recent analysis of the UK Biobank cohort, which measured accelerometer-based daily step count in 78,500 individuals, showed that accruing more daily steps, including intentional walking steps, was associated with a lower risk of incident cancer and mortality due to cancer. PubMed Central (PMC)
• Improving short-term temperature forecasts in alignment with expert predictions of technological development could reduce U.S. mortality from heat by 18% to 25% in the year 2100. Mirage News

Last updated: 16 June 2026