 The mucus secreted is very thick and blocks passageways in the lungs and digestive tracts.This mucus causes problems with breathing and with the digestion and absorption of nutrients.Referred to as a "lifestyle" disease, because the majority of these diseases are preventable illnesses, the most common causes for non-communicable diseases (NCD) include tobacco use (smoking), alcohol abuse, poor diets (high consumption of sugar, salt, saturated fats, and trans fatty acids) and physical inactivity.