Causes of non-communicable diseasesSpec 5.23
In short
Many non-communicable diseases are caused by the interaction of a number of factors, so no single factor usually explains why one person gets the disease. Factors can be lifestyle, such as diet, smoking and alcohol, environmental, such as air pollution or harmful radiation, or inherited. Several factors together increase the risk more than one alone.
Many non-communicable diseases are caused by the interaction of a number of factors. No single factor usually explains why one person gets the disease and another does not.
| Type of disease | Examples of factors involved |
|---|---|
| Cardiovascular disease | Diet, lack of exercise, smoking, alcohol, inherited factors |
| Many forms of cancer | Smoking, harmful radiation, certain chemicals, inherited factors |
| Some lung diseases | Smoking, air pollution |
| Some liver diseases | Drinking too much alcohol |
| Diseases influenced by nutrition | Too much or too little of certain foods; obesity and malnutrition |
Factors can be lifestyle (what a person chooses to do), environmental (what a person is exposed to) or inherited (passed on in genes). Having several of these together increases the chance of disease more than having one alone.
Written and checked against the Edexcel GCSE Combined Science (1SC0) specification · Updated October 2026