Obesity common among top causes of death

To add to Brad Johnson's comment of Nov. 3 on COVID numbers: The JAMA statistics on the three leading causes of death in the U.S. from 2015 to 2020 are as follows, Specifically addressing 2020 numbers:

The top cause is Heart disease at 690,882 deaths. Next is cancer at 598,532 deaths. Third is COVID-19 at 345,323 deaths.

It should be noted that the COVID-19 number is for 2020 only and leaves approximately 402,000 deaths for the previous five years during which the numbers for cancer and heart disease rise a little but stay at the same high levels.

It seems then, when following the science, that more effort should be directed toward the resolution of heart disease and cancer as these both show twice the mortality rate as COVID-19.

Not to minimize the danger that COVID presents, but it is not the threat that it is presented as.

I would remark that one condition which is germane to all three leading causes, obesity, has not been addressed. Yet it is a leading comorbidity for all three diseases.

Perhaps a strong anti obesity campaign would save more lives particularly in the heart disease and COVID-19 area.

Al Nowosielski

Roselle