Rise in eight of the ten leading causes of death Declining life expectancy in the US

Decreased life expectancy in the US: income and nutrition partly responsible
The life expectancy of the Germans has reached a record level in recent years. In other countries too, people live much longer today. In the US, on the other hand, life expectancy has fallen for the first time in over 20 years. Experts are worried.

People are getting older and older
On average, people around the world are getting older and older. According to experts, this is often due not only to medical progress, but also to a healthier lifestyle with more exercise, a healthy diet and a reduction in alcohol and tobacco consumption. In recent years, some researchers have even claimed that life expectancy can be increased tenfold. Others came to the conclusion that maximum life expectancy was limited to 115 years. In the US, however, it has now become clear that the increase is not progressing at all. There, life expectancy has dropped for the first time in over 20 years.

In the US, life expectancy has fallen for the first time in over two decades. Responsible for this could be, among other things, the differences in income and nutrition as well as unemployment. (Image: oneinchpunch / fotolia.com)

Life expectancy in the US dropped for the first time in two decades
According to media reports, the life expectancy of US citizens has dropped for the first time in more than two decades. According to the Washington Center for Health Statistics, a newborn had an average of 78.9 years in 2014, compared to just 78.8 years in 2015.

According to the experts' report, eight of the ten most common causes of death have increased, most notably deaths from heart disease, strokes, diabetes and overdoses of drugs and medications. According to the figures, white men and women as well as black men are particularly affected.

Growing death rates from heart disease
Commenting on the growing death toll from heart disease, Anne Case, a Princeton University economist, told the Washington Post, "I think we have to take this very seriously."

"This is unusual, and we do not know what happened," study author Jiaquan Xu said about the results. "So many leading causes of death have increased."

Income and nutrition play an important role
According to experts, the differences in income and nutrition as well as unemployment could be responsible for the declining life expectancy. For example, research has shown that poor people die much earlier.

According to the latest report, the life expectancy of a 65-year-old has not dropped while it has become measurably lower for middle-aged or younger Americans.

However, it was positively noted that fewer people died of cancer in 2015. This is attributed, among other things, to the fact that less is smoked. And also the better early detection plays a role. (Ad)