Top 10 - Ten Worst Things To Do To Your Body

In 2005 Forbes.com suggested the first 9 of the following 10 things as the worst things you can do to your body. I've added number 10.


1) Smoking tobacco

Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the U.S and most countries around the World. Along with other forms of tobacco, it kills more than 400,000 Americans each year. It contributes to many cases of cancer, mainly of the lungs and other organs, as well as cardiovascular disease. Although smoking poses major health risks, that doesn't seem to stop enough people. In 2004, more than 20% of the U.S. population smoked.


2) Poor nutrition

More than 60% of the U.S. population, 20 years old and older, are obese. Deaths due to poor nutrition and lack of exercise are increasing. Every year about 400,000 people die from one or both. It is difficult to separate the two categories because they usually both result in obesity. That doesn't mean you can eat what you want and simply exercise more, or vice versa. For proper health, you must have a balance of each.


3) Inactivity / poor exercise

2004, only about 30% of Americans took part in some form of regular leisure-time physical activity. The rest were sedentary. Getting plenty of exercise will improve heart conditions, give you more energy and help you sleep well at night. It correlates directly with obesity problems, and each year the combination of lack of exercise and poor nutrition kill about 400,000 people a year, with the numbers rapidly increasing.


4) Drinking alcohol

Almost 100,000 deaths were caused by misuse of alcohol in 2004. Abusing the booze can give you liver cirrhosis or cancer. If that isn't enough to kill you, it also increases your chances of fatal accidents--for instance, in a car or drowning. In 2004, about 20% of adults had five or more drinks in one day at least once in the past year. Chronic liver disease and cirrhosis killed almost 30,000 Americans, while there were about 20,000 alcohol-induced deaths that don't include accidents or homicides.


5) Microbial agents / poor hygiene

About 80,000 Americans die each year from some type of infectious illness (not including HIV), and some of them could possibly be prevented. Many infection-control measures, like immunizations, prevent about 100 million other infections. Infections, like influenza and pneumonia, used to be the leading cause of death in the United States and are still a large threat, especially to people with prior health problems.


6) Toxic agents

We can't help but be exposed to toxins, whether it's at the job, in the environment or in the food we eat and drink. But they account for about 60,000 deaths among Americans each year. They can include exposure to dyes, mineral dust, and air pollutants that contribute to problems like allergies and asthma. But even more seemingly innocuous products, like some makes of paraffin candle, contain carcinogens.


7) Sexual behavior

If you aren't using protection during sex, you're increasing your risk of death. Each year about 20,000 people die in the U.S. from preventable sexual diseases, and millions more are infected with a sexually transmitted disease. The two leading STDs are HIV, with an estimated number of 14,000 deaths in 2002, and hepatitis, with about 5,800 deaths that year.


8) Illegal drug use

Millions of Americans have serious drug problems, and almost 15,000 die annually from illicit drug use. There's a reason why drugs are regulated: They are harmful and potentially fatal, not to mention addictive. Drugs increase your chances of being in an automobile accident and contracting HIV and other STDs.


9) Tanning

According to the American Cancer Society, almost 8,000 people will die from melanoma, the deadly skin cancer associated with tanning. Tanning wasn't on the CDC's list of top actual causes of death, but we included it because of rising cases of melanoma. There aren't studies that prove tanning is the result of the increase in deaths, but we do know there is a correlation.


10) Lack of Sleep / Sleep deprivation

Without enough sleep on a daily basis the human body slows down and doesn't perform all it's duties as well as it should. Poor sleep has serious effects on our brain's ability to function. Sleepiness have been linked to stress and high blood pressure. Research has also suggested that sleep loss may increase the risk of obesity because chemicals and hormones that play a key role in controlling appetite and weight gain are released during sleep.