Sarah M's List: Factors of Life Expectancy

• A new study led by researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) in collaboration with researchers from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington estimates that smoking, high blood pressure, elevated blood glucose and overweight and obesity currently reduce life expectancy in the U.S. by 4.9 years in men and 4.1 years in women
• • Physical activity is scientifically proven to prevent cardiovascular disease, some forms of cancer, and diabetes.
• Smoking, high blood pressure, elevated blood glucose and obesity are responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths from chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, cancers and diabetes, in the U.S. each year
• smoking, high blood pressure, elevated blood glucose and overweight and obesity account for almost 20% of disparities in life expectancy across the U.S
• These four factors also accounted for three quarters of disparities in cardiovascular mortality and up to half of disparities in cancer mortality.

• Below is the number of years that would be gained in life expectancy in the U.S. if each individual risk factor was reduced to its optimal level:

   
   
  • Blood pressure: 1.5 years (men), 1.6 years (women)
   
  • Obesity (measured by body mass index): 1.3 years (men), 1.3 years (women)
   
  • Blood glucose: 0.5 years (men), 0.3 years (women)
   
  • Smoking: 2.5 years (men), 1.8 years (women)
   
   

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• Smoking and obesity are risk factors causing a large burden of disease
• In most cases, elimination of smoking or obesity does not result in absolute compression of morbidity but slightly increases the part of life lived in good health
• • I don't quite understand the study they conducted but the main idea is pretty blunt. Smoking and obesity (preventable by an altered diet and PHYSICAL ACTIVITY) do contribute to a shorter life expectancy. By eliminating these factors, however, doesn't guarantee it will elongate life expectancy.  
• However, our results do not indicate that substantial compression of morbidity is to be expected as a result of successful smoking or obesity prevention.

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