WSIL-TV 3 ABC

Top Stories

Last updated 11:43 am CT September 02, 2010.

E-mail Story Print Story

To Your Health: Life Expectancy

The average life expectancy for Americans has been steadily increasing. Researchers say a big reason is that less and less people are smoking, but all that progress could soon be wiped out.

Over the past fifteen years, smoking rates have decreased by 20%. That means we have less heart disease, fewer cancer cases, and a longer life expectancy.

However, at the same time, obesity has increased by 48% and Harvard researchers say that our expanding waistlines have the potential to wipe out all the gains we've seen from less smoking.

Their scientific modeling estimates that, between 2005 and 2020, a typical 18-year-old would gain about four months of life expectancy from reduced smoking rate, but this would be counter-acted by a one-year loss from obesity.

Researchers still predict that improvements in medical treatments will keep overall life expectancy going up, but the improvements will be slower due to our collective weight gain.

Other experts say the impact of obesity on the quality of life may be its greatest toll. People battling excess weight have higher rates of disability, diabetes, and heart disease: disorders that make them sicker at younger ages and dependent on medications for years longer.

<< Back to Previous Page