The announcement was made by the World Health Organization (WHO), which is calling for better regulation in this regard, AFP reports.

These "four industries kill, according to WHO Europe director Hans Kluge, at least 7,000 people every day" in the region, which includes 53 countries and extends into Central Asia.

"Industry tactics include exploiting vulnerable people through targeted marketing strategies, deceiving consumers and making false claims about the benefits of their products or their environmental friendliness", Kluge stated in a press release.

These tactics undermine the fight against non-communicable diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, which are the cause of four out of ten deaths in Europe.

For WHO, by promoting their products, giants in the tobacco, food, fossil fuel and alcohol industries interfere with efforts to prevent and control diseases, such as cancer and diabetes.

The practices of large groups fuel inequalities and the recurrence of cancer, chronic cardiovascular and respiratory diseases and diabetes.

These "constitute a major obstacle to prevention policies", WHO lamented, adding that they "maximize profits and compromise public health".

Overweight and obesity affect nearly 60% of adults and almost one in three children on the Old Continent.

The most recent data (2017) also show that one in five deaths associated with cardiovascular diseases and cancer in Europe can be attributed to unhealthy diets.

To protect populations, WHO recommends the application of stricter regulations, particularly regarding the marketing of harmful products, monopolistic practices, taxation of multinationals and exploitation of vulnerable populations during crises. "Human beings must always take priority over profit", Kluge insisted.

Globally, tobacco, ultra-processed foods, fossil fuels and alcohol, promoted by industrial lobbies, are responsible for 19 million deaths per year.