Secrets of Living a Longer & Healthier Life

A little over a century ago, life expectancy in the USA was 48 years for women and 46 for men. In 2004, it was 80 and 75, respectively, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Life expectancy rates vary widely internationally, but most nations have shown dramatic increases, some more than the USA. Japanese women, for example, were expected to live 85.6 years and men, 78.6 years in 2004, according to the United Nations Demographic Yearbook. The CDC attributes higher life expectancy rates to better sanitation, improved access to health care, advances in medicine, healthier life styles and better health before age 65.

There’s a lot of controversy about why life expectancy in the USA is lower than Japan and many other nations, when our cost of health care is so much higher. The United Nations rated the USA #38 between 2005- 2010, behind Cuba and the CIA ranked the USA #50 in 2011, right behind Portugal.

Many attribute the problem in the USA to preventable lifestyle-related chronic diseases, like obesity, diabetes and heart disease. In my last article on longevity, I talked about how stress shortens cell life. Stress also contributes to metabolic syndrome, which is defined as 3 or more of 5 risk factors for chronic diseases: high glucose, high blood pressure, high triglycerides, low HDL, and large waist to hip ratio.

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Michael H.

10:47PM PDT on May 16, 2013

LOL! There I think I just added 5 minutes to my life :)

May 16
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Past Member .

12:02PM PST on Dec 23, 2012

good article

December 23
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Anne M.

10:41PM PST on Dec 8, 2012

GOT TO HAVE A GOOD SENSE OF HUMOUR, AND SENSE OF SELF....

December 8
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Patricia H.

5:02AM PDT on Oct 8, 2012

great article

October 8
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Laurie G.

10:25AM PDT on Sep 4, 2012

Thanks.

September 4
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Rhonda B.

8:50AM PDT on Aug 30, 2012

Thanks..

August 30
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9:44AM PDT on Aug 29, 2012

August 29
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julie t.

11:39PM PDT on Aug 28, 2012

both my parents are from Sardinia, now Australia. However, their lifestyle is somewhat different from what they knew in their early life. It may be a case of the first generation looking back to the ancestral land.

Thank you for the article:)