More people are surviving cancer but heart disease deaths rising

ATLANTA (WPVI) -- More people are surviving cancer, however, the number of deaths due to heart disease is on the rise.

Researchers looked at death certificates for adults 45 to 64 from 1999 to 2017.

Deaths from cancer dropped 19%, and deaths due to heart disease were also going down.

That was until 2011, when deaths began going up. By 2017, they'd risen by 4%.

When you break it down, white women saw the greatest rise in death rates. There was a 12% increase from 2011-2017.

Hispanic women saw a general decline.

Black women had the highest rates among women, and black men had the largest increase among men.

Cancer and heart disease are the leading causes of death for middle-aged Americans, accounting for approximately half of all deaths in this age group, according to the CDC.

The number went down for Hispanic women and up for African American women and men.

Experts point to the rising obesity problem as a culprit.

They say 90% of heart disease can be prevented with a healthy diet, exercise, not smoking, and controlling blood pressure and cholesterol.

Talk with your healthcare provider if you need help lowering your risk.