Lifespan Weighed Down by Diet

Since the end of the Civil War until the late 20th century, lifespan increased rapidly in the US, a tremendous public health triumph brought about by a more dependable food supply, improved sanitation, and advances in medical care. In 1850, life expectancy among whites was an estimated 38 years for...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJAMA : the journal of the American Medical Association Vol. 315; no. 21; pp. 2269 - 2270
Main Author Ludwig, David S
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States American Medical Association 07.06.2016
Subjects
Age Factors
Cause of Death
Clinical Trials as Topic
Diet - adverse effects
Health Care Costs - trends
Humans
Life expectancy
Longevity
Obesity
Obesity - complications
Obesity - epidemiology
Obesity - mortality
Public health
Sex Factors
United States - epidemiology
United States
Online AccessGet full text
ISSN0098-7484
1538-3598
DOI10.1001/jama.2016.3829

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Summary:Since the end of the Civil War until the late 20th century, lifespan increased rapidly in the US, a tremendous public health triumph brought about by a more dependable food supply, improved sanitation, and advances in medical care. In 1850, life expectancy among whites was an estimated 38 years for men and 40 years for women. These numbers nearly doubled by 1980, to 71 years for men and 78 years for women. With the start of the obesity epidemic in the late 1970s, this trend began to slow, leading some to predict that life expectancy would decline in the US by the mid-21st century. Here, Ludwig discusses the health-related effects and economic effects of obesity-related diseases.
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ISSN:0098-7484
1538-3598
DOI:10.1001/jama.2016.3829