A study conducted by 250 scientists from 25 countries has revealed that developing diabetes in the middle ages can cause premature death owing to higher chances of developing illnesses like cancers, liver and kidney diseases, lung ailments and other infections.

The study, which was coordinated by the University of Cambridge, had analyzed data on more than 800,000 people.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the leading global risks for mortality in the world are high blood pressure, tobacco use, high blood glucose, physical inactivity, and overweight and obesity.

These risks are responsible for raising the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and cancers. They affect countries across all income groups: high, middle and low.

Overweight and Obesity
Sixty-three percent of Australians are now overweight or obese, according to government statistics. Reuters
Physical Inactivity
Sedentary lifestyle was pointed out by the WHO as the fourth severest cause of deaths in the world. It accounted for 5.5 percent of all deaths, or claimed 3.2 million lives. In the high-income countries, 7.7 percent of deaths happened because of this while in middle income countries the figure was 6.6. percent and in low income countries 3.8 percent. REUTERS
High Blood Glucose
High blood sugar caused 5.8 percent of all deaths in the world, or accounted for as many as 3.4 million deaths. Again, this lifestyle malady had the severest impact on the high-income countries, claiming 7 percent t of all deaths. Its share of deaths in middle income countries was 6.3 percent, while in low-income countries it was 4.9 percent. REUTERS
Report U.S. Court Rules against Graphic Health Warning Prints on Tobacco Products
As Australia wages its campaign that forces tobacco manufacturers to adopt plain packaging on their products, a U.S. District Court ruled against a similar measure in the United States on Wednesday. While it accounted for as much as 17.9 percent deaths in high-income countries, in low-income countries it caused only 3.9 percent of deaths. In middle-income countries tobacco use caused 10.8 percent deaths. WHO also says tobacco smoking alone causes 71 percent of lung cancer deaths worldwide. REUTERS
High Blood Pressure
According to WHO's ranking of selected risk factors, high blood pressure topped the chart across regions of the world and in all income groups. As per data for the year 2004, this malady caused the death of 7.5 million people. In percentage terms, high blood pressure accounted for 12. 8 percent of all deaths in the world. In high income countries this accounted for 16.8 percent of deaths while the figure for middle income countries was 17.2 percent. In low-income countries high blood pressure was a lesser reason for death, accounting for only 7.5 percent of deaths. REUTERS