Obesity, smoking blamed for shorter lives in U.S.

Obesity, smoking linked to shorter life span

The United States still lags behind many countries in life expectancy even as health care costs rise to extend lives of U.S. residents. Smoking and obesity among Americans are partly to blame according to a new report released by the National Research Council on Friday.

Obesity is common in the rest of the world and smoking among Americans is on a gradual decline. But high smoking and obesity rates have been recorded in the U.S. well before they had a significant impact in other countries. The cumulative effect for Americans are now  beginning to show in shortened life spans, the report suggests.

Life expectancy in the U.S. in 2007 was 75.6 years for men and 80.8 years for women. In comparison, French men had a life expectancy of 77.4 years while French women were expected to live until 84.4 years old. The life expectancy in Japan, which is known for the longevity of its citizens, was 79.2 years for men and 86 years for women.

Health experts and epidemiologists are counting on the decline in smoking over the last two decades in the U.S. to help extend life expectancy, especially for men. A similar improvement among women may not be felt several years later since peak smoking rates among them happened later after men's.

The study authors identify smoking as a key factor in the relatively shorter life expectancies of U.S. men and women. But obesity is also a significant factor, with some experts saying it may be responsible for up to one-third of the decline in life expectancy.

Posted by George Daniels on Wednesday January 26 2011, 4:02 AM EST. Ref: AP. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, Health. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0