For over a century, cardiovascular disease has consistently been the number one cause of death worldwide. Today, various manifestations of the disease claim about 18 million lives each year. That’s nearly double the death toll of cancer, which is the world’s second leading cause of death.
It’s clear that cardiovascular problems are at epidemic proportions. But before the 20th century, it was far more common to die from infections and cardiovascular disease wasn’t nearly the issue it is today.
It was the rise of smoking and the modern lifestyle that proved to be so hard on the heart. By the 1960s, heart disease had reached its all time high. As the death toll climbed, the medical establishment began to wise up to a number of definite causes through the aid of autopsy studies….