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Forbes
4 days ago
- Health
- Forbes
15-Year Long Stagnant Life Expectancy Trend In U.S. Continues
Life expectancy in the U.S. has been stagnant for 15 years. Multiple factors are to blame. getty Approximately 525,000 more deaths occurred in the United States in 2023 than would have been expected based on pre-2010 mortality trends. The large number of excess deaths can be attributed to many different diseases and conditions. Cardiovascular disease continues to top the causes of mortality, along with cancer. But medical errors, overdose fatalities, gun deaths, infant mortality and other causes all contribute to the troublesome trend. U.S. life expectancy has been largely stagnant for 15 years. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report on mortality in the U.S. shows that life expectancy at birth rose from 77.5 in 2022 to 78.4 in 2023. While the bump between 2022 and 2023 is good news and signals a continued bounce-back from significant declines in 2020 and 2021 owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the figure is still below the 2010 level. And preliminary data suggest that compared to 2023 the improvement in life expectancy in 2024 could be much smaller, as the rebound appears to be losing steam. Over the next 25 years, life expectancy in the U.S. is projected to rise by approximately two years—far less than in other wealthy, industrialized nations, according to a study published in The Lancet and carried out by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. Specifically, U.S. life expectancy is forecast to increase from its 2023 level to 80·4 years in 2050. This modest gain will see the U.S. fall from 49th to 66th globally in life expectancy rankings. Life expectancy is an estimate of the average number of years a baby born in a given year might expect to live, given death rates at that time. It's considered a fundamental measure of a population's health. A newly released report by the Bloomberg American Health Initiative highlights some of the reasons why the sharp divergence between U.S. life expectancy and its peers will likely persist, including the relatively elevated incidence and prevalence of cardiovascular disease, obesity and diabetes, as well as high levels of drug overdoses, gun deaths, motor vehicle fatalities and infant and maternal mortality. These help to explain, for example, the 2.7-year gap in life expectancy between the U.S. and the United Kingdom. Other rich countries such as Japan, Korea, Portugal, the U.K. and Italy all currently enjoy a life expectancy of 80 years or more. And since 1980 the gap between the U.S. and its peers has widened substantially. A Journal of the American Medical Association study analyzing 170 health indicators for U.S. children from 2007–2023 paints an especially sobering picture for the nation's youth, as infant mortality is 1.8 times higher than other wealthy nations; firearms are a top cause of death; obesity, anxiety and depression are rising relative to peers. What has alarmed policymakers for decades is that the U.S. experiences comparatively subpar life expectancy despite spending considerably more on healthcare. In fact, the U.S. spends much more in absolute and per capita terms on healthcare than any other nation. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has spoken of a 'life expectancy crisis.' He points to chronic diseases as the main underlying problem. Specifically, he cites rising rates of obesity, diabetes and cancer, as well as autoimmune diseases, neurodevelopmental disorders, Alzheimer's, asthma and addiction. Kennedy blames poor diets and environmental toxins for the increase in chronic disease rates. It follows that he's focused on chronic disease prevention, with a special emphasis on nutrition and removing certain ingredients and additives from food and beverages. Diet has invariably been integral to the Make America Healthy Again movement that Kennedy began. MAHA is taking aim at artificial dyes, pesticides, and additives, while trying to shift American eating habits away from ultra-processed foods. Kennedy is planning a public awareness campaign on the links between ultra-processed food and diabetes. While Kennedy's ideas to improve nutrition have some backing in the public health community, they could clash with the vested interests of the food industry as well as other Trump administration policies. Kennedy and his allies say Europe's food regulations help explain its lower rates of chronic disease, but experts suggest they may be overlooking European policies with possibly more impact, such as universal access to healthcare, a lower poverty rate and less exposure to air pollution. Additionally, Kennedy may be ignoring certain areas which could ameliorate the stagnant life expectancy trend, such as policies targeting gun violence, infant and maternal mortality, motor vehicle fatalities and medical errors. Equally important are courses of action that would tackle 'diseases of despair,' such as suicide, alcoholism and illicit drug use. Kennedy says he's determined to 'prevent addiction,' but steep budget cuts passed by Congress may undermine his efforts at curbing substance abuse disorders. Public health in America faces enormous challenges, not least of which are shrinking budgets at the federal and state levels. Experts across the political divide agree that addressing stagnant life expectancy requires sustained government funding of a wide range of initiatives that affect public health.
France 24
16-07-2025
- Health
- France 24
Global health aid sinks to 15-year low in 'era of austerity'
Money that provides healthcare to some of the poorest and most in-need people across the world has been dramatically slashed this year, led by the administration of US President Donald Trump. The new study published in the prestigious Lancet journal also pointed to recent steep aid cuts announced by the UK, France and Germany. After reaching an all-time high of $80 billion in 2021 during the Covid-19 pandemic, the total amount of global health aid will sink to $39 billion this year, the US-led team of researchers estimated. That would be the lowest level since 2009. Such a dramatic change will result in the world entering a new "era of global health austerity", the authors of the study warned. Sub-Saharan African countries such as Somalia, the war-torn Democratic of Congo and Malawi will be hit worst because most of their health funding currently comes from international aid, according to the study. The funding cuts will have a major impact on the treatment and prevention of a range of diseases, including HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, it added The US slashed its global health funding by at least 67 percent in 2025 compared to last year, according to the research. The UK cut its funding by nearly 40 percent, following by France with 33 percent and Germany with 12 percent. The researchers at the US-based Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation called for the world to urgently ramp up health aid. They also warned that nations would likely need find other sources of funding. The study was released as AIDS experts meet in Rwanda's capital Kigali for an international conference on HIV science. The US foreign aid cuts alone are estimated to result in the preventable deaths of more than 14 million people by 2030, according to a different Lancet study published earlier this month.
The Independent
03-07-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Your holiday cookout could be killing you
Could your Fourth of July cookout lead to an early death? Estimates from the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council show Americans consume some 150 million hot dogs during the holiday weekend. Now, researchers say that eating any processed meat and other foods leaves Americans at a heightened risk for chronic conditions, including type 2 diabetes, ischemic heart disease, and colorectal cancer. The conditions result in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people each year. 'Habitual consumption of even small amounts of processed meat, sugary drinks, and trans fatty acids is linked to increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, ischemic heart disease and colorectal cancer,' Dr. Demewoz Haile, a research scientist at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation in Seattle, told CNN this week. Analyzing data from more than 60 previous related studies, the researchers found that eating processed meat – as little as just one hot dog a day – was associated with at least an 11 percent average increase in type 2 diabetes risk and a 7 percent increase in colorectal cancer risk. Those who drank a sugar-sweetened beverage had an 8 percent average increase in type 2 diabetes risk and a 2 percent increase in ischemic heart disease risk. The study builds on years of research tying processed foods to higher risks of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and even cancer. The Dietary Guidelines recommend limiting these foods and drinks, including sodas, hot dogs, and sausages. Although, researchers say it remains unclear exactly what aspects of processed foods pose potential health risks. It could be due to inflammation, Dr. Minyang Song, an associate professor of clinical epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan Schoo of Public Health, told CNN. He was not involved in the latest study. Processed meats also often contain chemicals known as nitrates nitrites that serve as a preservative and give the meat its rosy color. 'Nitrates convert to nitrites, and in the stomach's acidic environment, nitrites interact with certain components concentrated in meat to form N-nitroso compounds, which are potential carcinogens,' according to Harvard Medical School. Dr. Walter Willett, a professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, points out that processed meats contain other additives and are high in sodium, which is a risk factor for high blood pressure and heart disease. Dr. Ashkan Afshin, an assistant professor at the institute who was not a co-author of the new study, previously found that poor diet is responsible for more deaths globally than tobacco, high blood pressure, or any other health risk. "Poor diet is an equal opportunity killer," he said in 2019. "We are what we eat and risks affect people across a range of demographics, including age, gender, and economic status."
Bloomberg
27-05-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Southeast Asia Sees Near 150% Rise in Heart Disease, Study Shows
The number of people with cardiovascular disease surged by 148% in Southeast Asia over the past three decades, with the condition becoming the region's leading cause of mortality and morbidity, according to new research. A total 37 million people in the region suffered from cardiovascular disease in 2021 and 1.7 million died from it. The findings by researchers at Seattle-based Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation and the National University of Singapore are based on analysis of health data between 1990 and 2021 from 10 Southeast Asian countries that make up the Asean bloc.
