A/HRC/19/59 United States of America Mexico Australia United Kingdom Canada Russian Federation Poland Hungary Brazil Czech Republic Finland Germany Spain Austria Belgium Republic of Korea Netherlands Denmark Italy Sweden Ireland Switzerland Greece Norway France Malaysia Taiwan Province of China Singapore Thailand Hong Kong, China China Japan Indonesia India Figure 2. Source: Euromonitor International, Cardiovascular Health: A Key Area of Functional Food and Drinks Development (June 2010). 10. The health impacts of bad diets are well known. 18 Diets rich in salt and alcohol, combined with a lack of exercise,19 often result in higher blood pressure, which in turn increases the risks of stroke, heart disease and kidney failure. About 51 per cent of strokes worldwide and 45 per cent of ischaemic heart diseases are attributable to high blood pressure, which affects particularly middle-income European and African countries. Diets high in saturated fats and physical inactivity can increase cholesterol levels, also a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and responsible for 2.6 million deaths each year.20 Changed diets and lack of physical exercise may cause resistance to insulin or otherwise increase blood glucose, which is responsible for 6 per cent of deaths globally, as this exposes the individuals affected to diabetes, heart disease or stroke. A predisposition to diabetes could be caused by infant formulas that are much higher in advanced glycation end than milk.21 Finally, unhealthy diets increase the risks of cancers of the breast, colon, prostate and other organs. Low intake of fruits and vegetables, for instance, increases the risks not only of cardiovascular diseases, but also that of gastrointestinal cancers. 18 19 20 21 WHO, Global Health Risks, pp. 16-18. In the present report the Special Rapporteur will not discuss the lack of physical exercise resulting from urbanization and changes in modes of transport, an important risk factor that operates in combination with energy-rich diets to cause NCDs. It is estimated to cause around 21–25 per cent of breast and colon cancer, 27 per cent of diabetes and about 30 per cent of ischaemic heart disease burdens. WHO, Global Health Risks, p. 16 and Global Status Report, p. 2. V. Mericq and others, ―Maternally transmitted and food-derived glycotoxins,‖ Diabetes Care, vol. 33, No. 10 (2010), pp. 2232-2237. 7