The US is expected to drop to 66th in the life expectancy rankings

Life expectancy in the U.S. already falls behind many other developed countries, placing us at 49th globally in 2022, but a new report says we’ll drop even further to 66th in the year 2050.

That year, Americans are expected to live an average of 80.4 years, up from 79.9 years in 2035 and 78.3 years in 2022, according to an analysis by the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) published this week in the Lancet.

This slight increase has left us behind other nations, and researchers are blaming a “public health crisis of unimaginable proportions”.

But life expectancy is not equal across the US: New York is projected to have the highest life expectancy in the US by 2050, ranking 41st in the world, which would be a drop from 33rd in 2022.

New York is projected to have the highest life expectancy in the US by 2050, ranking 41st in the world, which would be a drop from 33rd in 2022. Rawf8 – stock.adobe.com

IHME noted that increases in life expectancy across the country are not keeping pace with other countries. The US global ranking is expected to drop to 66th in 2050 among 204 countries and territories.

“Despite modest increases in life expectancy overall, our models predict a slowdown in health improvements due to rising rates of obesity, which is a serious risk factor for many chronic diseases and is projected to surpass previously unseen levels,” said the director. of IHME Christopher. JL Murray.

“Rising obesity and overweight rates in the US, with IHME predicting over 260 million people affected by 2050, signals a public health crisis of unimaginable proportions,” added Murray, co-author of the study.

More than 100 million American adults are obese, with over 22 million adults considered severely obese, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Obesity significantly increases the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, certain types of cancer, and stroke, among other chronic conditions.

Eliminating risk factors such as obesity, high blood sugar and high blood pressure by 2050 could save 12.4 million lives, according to the new analysis. Andrey Popov – stock.adobe.com

IHME found that eliminating risk factors such as obesity, high blood sugar and high blood pressure by 2050 could extend 12.4 million lives.

IHME also analyzed US health-adjusted life expectancy (HALE), which is the average number of years a person can expect to live in good health.

The US global HALE ranking is projected to fall from 80th in 2022 to 108th by 2050.

“The US’s rapid decline in global rankings from 2022 to 2050 sounds the alarm for immediate action,” said co-senior author Stein Emil Volset, an associate professor from IHME. “The US must change course and find new and better health strategies and policies that slow the decline in future health outcomes.”

Women’s health in the US, in particular, is expected to see little or no gains over the next few decades.

The IHME projected that female HALE will decline by 2050 in 20 states, including Ohio, Tennessee, and Indiana.

The IHME said declining female and male death rates related to heart disease, stroke and diabetes were partially offset by rising rates of fatal drug overdoses.

“The opioid epidemic is not over, and greater effectiveness and continued expansion of drug use prevention and treatment programs is still needed,” said study lead author Ali Mokdad of IHME.

Smoking also remains a problem. The IHME estimated that 2.1 million lives could be extended by 2050 if smoking rates were drastically reduced.

Exercising, eating a healthy diet and getting a good education can help increase your life expectancy. Galyna Andrushko – stock.adobe.com

This is not the first time that public health experts have sounded the alarm about the stagnation of life expectancy in the US. Recent research has claimed that the biggest increase in life expectancy is in the rearview mirror because modern medicine is only providing small improvements.

University of Illinois at Chicago professor S. Jay Olshansky, who authored the study, told The Post that you can try to increase your lifespan by exercising, eating a healthy diet, getting a good education, getting medications prescribed by doctors and avoiding cigarettes and entertainment. drugs.

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