U.S. Life Expectancy Still On the Decline. Here's Why CNN:

[Stuart G]

https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/26/health/us-life-expectancy-decline-study/index.html

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by Jen Christensen

Life expectancy at birth -- the average length of time that you are expected to live -- continues to drop for Americans, a new study finds. Drug overdoses, suicides, alcohol-related illnesses and obesity are largely to blame. These problems have been building since the 1980s, according to the study's authors.

The US had been making steady progress. Life expectancy increased by nearly 10 years over the last half century -- from 69.9 years in 1959, to 78.9 years in 2016.

But the pace of this increase slowed over time, while other high income countries continued to show a steady rise in life expectancy.

After 2010, US life expectancy plateaued and in 2014 it began reversing, dropping for three consecutive years -- from 78.9 years in 2014, to 78.6 in 2017. This is despite the US spending the most on health care per capita than any other country in the world.

Of all age groups, adults 25 to 64 years old saw the largest increase in mortality rates -- 6% -- according to the study, published Tuesday in the medical journal JAMA.
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Key sentence:
"Drug overdoses, suicides, alcohol-related illnesses and obesity are largely to blame. These problems have been building since the 1980s, according to the study's authors."

comment: I used to be addicted to certain prescription drugs. I got off them more than 20 years ago. In the late 70s, I weighed 50 pounds more than I do now. I lost that over a couple of years, and kept it all off since then. It isn't easy, but I know what the results will be if I go back.

[Igel]

1. Title's a bit misleading.

2018 data should be out soon. This stops at 2017 and the only thing new about this analysis is presenting details from the data that are a pain to otherwise look up--along with discussion as to cause.

Takeaway: If you're an adult white man your life expectancy declined in 2017. (Which will make some happy because hey, the black/white life-expectancy gap closed just a bit more.)

[appalachiablue]

2. Also of note from the CNN article,

> "It is a whole constellation of conditions they have shown impacts life expectancy.

It is not just medical conditions, but also the social drivers that appear to be at play, like income inequality and mental distress," Koh said.

He believes there is a greater awareness of these issues, that your health is much more than what happens in your doctor's office."

[Bayard]

3. I think the constant stress of the tRump presidency

Has taken years off all of our lives.