Yahoo Lifestyle The No. 1 Cause of Death in the U.S. Was Just Revealed—and It's Definitely a Sobering Reminder
The No. 1 cause of death in the United States hasn't changed—but it's taking even more lives per year than ever before, and the statistics around it are both startling and devastating. The good news? For many people, it's preventable.
Related: This Is the Early Heart Attack Symptom That's Missed the Most Often, According to Cardiologists
The No. 1 Cause of Death in the United States
Heart disease remains the biggest killer of most Americans, according to a new report from the American Heart Association published in the journal Circulation: 941,652 Americans died from cardiovascular disease in 2022. That's a steep increase from the (still terrifying) 931,500 people who died from heart disease just one year prior. (Data from 2023 and 2024 aren't yet available.)
When you break those numbers down, it means that heart disease kills a person—a human being with loved ones, dreams, ideas, thoughts—every 34 seconds. Nearly 2,500 people die from cardiovascular disease every single day.
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The Most Common Risk Factors for Heart Disease
The most common risk factors for heart disease include:
Age (the older you are, the higher your risk)
Autoimmune diseases or conditions
Diabetes diagnosis (both type 1 and type 2 diabetes raise your risk)
Genetics (heart disease can run in families, even if you're otherwise healthy)
High blood pressure
High cholesterol
Obesity
Smoking, which cardiologists say is the worst habit for heart health
Stress
And, as if the patriarchy wasn't bad enough, people assigned female at birth may be at a somewhat higher risk of heart disease than those assigned male at birth because of our estrogen levels and potential pregnancy complications. Great!
Related: This Is the #1 Sign That Someone Has a Healthy Heart, According to Cardiologists
How You Can Lower Your Risk of Heart Disease
The silver lining in this very dark cloud is that many heart disease risks are within our control. While we can't get younger, magically cure autoimmune conditions or change our DNA, there are tangible steps you can take to improve your heart health in other ways, according to cardiologists:
Quitting smoking and vaping
Quitting drinking (or at least cutting back)
Eating a healthy diet (cardiologists love the Mediterranean and DASH diets)
Taking necessary medications as directed by your doctor (like statins for cholesterol or blood thinners if prescribed)
Managing your weight (with a doctor's help and medications if prescribed)
Managing your diabetes with a doctor's guidance
Getting at least seven hours of sleep each night
Managing stress (we know it's hard in this timeline, but do your best)
Related: 'I'm a Cardiologist. Here's How Women Can Cut Their Heart Disease Risk In Half'
Other Leading Causes of Death in the United States
Here are the entire top 10 causes of death in the U.S. are, in order, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
Heart disease: 941,652
Cancer: 608,371
Accidents (unintentional injuries): 227,039
COVID-19: 186,552
Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases): 165,393
Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 147,382
Alzheimer's disease: 120,122
Diabetes: 101,209
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis (kidney disease and failure): 57,937
Chronic liver disease and cirrhosis: 54,803
While not all of these conditions are preventable, there are actions you can take to mitigate your risk: Getting vaccinated against COVID-19, abstaining from alcohol and tobacco, eating a healthy diet and engaging in regular exercise can help tremendously against many of these conditions.
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Sources
"2025 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics: A Report of US and Global Data From the American Heart Association." Circulation.
"Leading Causes of Death." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
