Death rates in the US are reduced from these 6 common diseases: American Cancer Society

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Heart disease, cancer, stroke and diabetes claim lives of millions in the U.S. alone, but according to a new study from the American Cancer Society, those numbers have in fact declined, Health 24 reports.

Researchers have found that based on death certificate data from 1969 to 2013, which was gathered via the National Vital Statistics System, the death rate has dropped by 42.9 percent over the last 40 years, and that death by the major killers such as heart disease, cancer, accidents, stroke and diabetes have all declined.

In a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers found that death caused by heart disease decreased by 67.5 percent, stroke by 77 percent, cancer by 17.9 percent, diabetes by 16.5 percent, and accidents by 39.8 percent.

However, death caused by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which is often caused by smoking, has increased by as much as 101 percent. In fact, CBS News reports that death caused by COPD is still increasing among women, who start to smoke later and begin quitting later as well. Among men, however, the rate for death caused by COPD decreased between 1999 and 2013 because of smoking cessation.

Ahmedin Jemal, vice president of the Surveillance and Health Services Research Program at the American Cancer Society and lead study author, told CNN, "It is definitely very good news because rates have decreased and continue to decrease for the five major causes of death."

Jemal explained, "People have to die of something in older age, but we want to avoid premature death."

Jiemin Ma, director of the surveillance and health services research program at the American Cancer Society, commented that "The leading causes of death examined in this study – except unintentional injuries – all are chronic conditions. Tobacco control, high blood pressure prevention and management, early detection and screening, and improvements in treating heart disease, stroke and some types of cancer have substantially contributed to reductions in death rates."

According to Jemal, the overall progress is attributed to a decline in smoking, early diagnosis, and better treatment of illnesses such as heart disease, cancer, and stroke. He noted however that diagnosis and treatment is good, but prevention is even better.

Jemal explained, "If we apply what we know in preventing cancer, heart disease, stroke, COPD and diabetes, we could reduce deaths by half. There is a huge opportunity to prevent these diseases."

CBS News reports that according to Dr. J. Michael McGinnis of the National Academy of Medicine, "A substantial component of the reduction in deaths is due to prevention, as a result, for example, of reduced use of tobacco, better control of high blood pressure and reduction in cholesterol levels."

He explained, "We need to modernize our view to focus on the most important things we now know and can measure about what really makes people, communities, and the nation healthy or not."