Non-communicable disease result of tobacco: Experts

Tobacco cultivation needs to be stopped for its products including cigarettes are responsible for non-communicable diseases (NDC) like heart attack, stroke, cancer and diabetes, speakers told a roundtable yesterday.

On prevention and cure of such diseases which kills nearly 38 million people each year worldwide, they said people need to change their lifestyles, especially in terms of food and working habit, while public awareness needs to be created.

Doctors, health experts and representatives of different health organisation in the country made the remarks at a roundtable organised by Prothom Alo in association with the Bangladesh Network for NDC Control & Prevention and Telenor Health at the newspaper's office in the capital.

Prof AK Azad Khan, president of Diabetic Association of Bangladesh, said, “Tobacco consumption, especially smoking, is very much harmful for our body as it causes many deadly diseases, like cancer and heart attack. Therefore, tobacco cultivation is needed to be stopped.”