According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the leading cause of death among males of all ages in the United States is heart disease, followed closely by cancer. Injuries--often associated with excessive alcohol consumption--also make up a leading cause of death among American males. It's important for men to adopt appropriate lifestyle modifications and engage in proper screening techniques, so that their likelihood of developing chronic disease is reduced and their quality of life remains high.
Heart Disease
The CDC reports that heart disease killed 26 percent of the men who died in 2006, and that half the men who die suddenly from coronary heart disease experience no previous symptoms. Although many men experience few symptoms of heart disease and still end up dying from it, nine out of 10 heart disease patients possess one or more risk factors, including elevated cholesterol and blood pressure, diabetes, a history of cigarette smoking, obesity or being overweight, a poor diet, physical inactivity and alcohol use. The Mayo Clinic suggests that men engage in a multilayered prevention approach to minimize the risk of developing heart disease. Five effective strategies for improving cardiovascular health include avoiding tobacco products, participating in moderately vigorous physical activity on a regular basis, eating a heart-healthy diet, maintaining a healthy weight and undergoing regular blood pressure and cholesterol screenings.
Prostate Cancer
According to the National Cancer Institute, a division of the National Institutes of Health, the prostate is a male reproductive system gland located below the bladder and in front of the rectum, and is a common location for cancer, especially in older men. The institute lists the following as factors for prostate cancer: age over 65 years, a family history of prostate cancer, race, certain prostate changes and certain genome changes. They also note that possessing one or more risk factors does not mean that a man will develop prostate cancer. In fact, the majority of men who possess risk factors never develop prostate cancer. According to the Prostate Cancer Law website, males over 50--or those over 40 who possess a family history of prostate cancer or are of African-American ancestry--should be screened for prostate cancer during their yearly examination. A typical prostate evaluation involves a digital rectal test, a urine evaluation and a prostate specific antigen--or PSA--test.
Alcoholism
According to the CDC, men are more likely than women to drink excessively, and men have higher rates of alcohol-related death and hospitalizations. Among drivers who die in auto accidents, men are almost twice as likely as women to have been intoxicated. Alcoholism or excessive alcohol use can negatively affect a man's testicular function and his ability to generate male hormones, which causes impotence and infertility and results in a decline of male secondary sex characteristics. Alcoholism is also associated with sexual assault, and alcohol consumption increases the likelihood of engaging in risky sexual behavior, such as having unprotected sex, sex with multiple partners or sex with partners at risk for sexually transmitted diseases. Over time, excessive alcohol consumption can lead to cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, liver and colon.
References
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Leading Causes of Death in Males United States, 2006
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Men and Heart Disease Fact Sheet
- MayoClinic.com: 5 Medication-Free Strategies to Help Prevent Heart Disease
- National Cancer Institute: Prostate Cancer
- Prostate Cancer Law: Screening for Prostate Cancer
