Much attention has been paid in recent years to life expectancy in the United States, which remains lower than many other industrialized countries that spend less on health care.
But with data suggesting that 79% of adults aged 60 and older have two or more chronic illnesses – such as diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure – and more than half of young adults report at least one illness chronic, health experts are turning their attention to not only how long people manage to stay alive, but also how many years they can expect to remain disease-free.
This is called a shelf life. And, like in the United States, lifespans have also decreased.
“Healthspan means living better, not just longer,” said Dr. Corey Rovzar, a postdoctoral researcher at the Stanford Prevention Research Center at the University of California School of Medicine. “We’re talking about those years without chronic illness or significant disability that could affect quality of life.”
Life expectancy has rebounded to near pre-COVID-19 levels. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, in 2023, the average number of years a newborn could expect to live in the United States was 78.4, compared to 78.8 for babies born ten years earlier. . Meanwhile, according to the World Health Organization, the average health expectancy of adults in the United States fell from 65.3 years in 2000 to 63.9 years in 2021, the latest year for which such data is available. Women are expected to live longer than men and enjoy more years in better health.
Like lifespan, lifespan is not calculated for individuals but for “an average person in the population,” said Dr. Norrina Allen, vice chair for research in the Department of Preventive Medicine and director of the Institute of Public Health and Medicine of the Center. for Epidemiology and Population Health, both at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University in Chicago.
The good news is that the steps needed to extend a person’s life expectancy will likely also extend their lifespan, she said. “The factors that help prevent the onset of disease are also closely related to preventing you from dying from these diseases.”
And people can do a lot to extend those good years.
Allen co-authored a 2022 American Heart Association report that detailed a checklist of eight health factors and lifestyle behaviors, known as Life’s Essential 8, for improving and maintaining good cardiovascular health . Adherence to these same components has been shown to reduce the risk of other chronic diseases, promote healthy aging, and contribute to both longer life expectancy and longevity.
The checklist includes not smoking, staying physically active, getting enough sleep, and following a healthy diet that includes whole foods and emphasizes eating fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, nuts, seeds, and cooking with olive oil. The checklist also calls for achieving and maintaining a healthy weight and controlling cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar levels.
The AHA also advises limiting alcohol consumption because drinking too much can increase the risk of high blood pressure, breast cancer, liver disease, stroke, heart disease and other health problems. health.
Beyond health-related factors and behaviors, strong family support, good mental health, access to good health care and a strong social network also contribute to longer health spans, Allen said. “These additional factors lay the foundation for maintaining good health behaviors and ideal clinical factors,” she said.
But trying to achieve them all can seem daunting, especially for people who aren’t currently following a healthy lifestyle, Rovzar said. She suggests making small changes to start and gradually building new habits, one step at a time.
“Think intentionally about what you can do today,” she said. “Add some green vegetables to your meal. Walk a little longer. These things add up. People think of lifestyle changes as all or nothing, but we need to change that mentality to recognize that every little bit counts.”
A 2022 study in Nature Medicine suggests that even short bursts of physical activity — a few sessions a day of a minute or two — can reduce the risks of cancer and cardiovascular death. For substantial health benefits, federal physical activity guidelines recommend engaging in at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week, along with muscle-strengthening activities twice per week. Adults who are physically unable to meet recommendations because of chronic illnesses or disabilities should be as physically active as possible, the guidelines say.
Rovzar encourages people to start developing good habits early in life so that they become easier to maintain throughout life. And, she says, remember that a healthy lifestyle “is different for everyone.” Find things you enjoy doing. Don’t try to become a runner if you don’t like running. You are unlikely to do so. if you don’t like it.
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American Heart Association News covers heart and brain health. Any views expressed in this story do not reflect the official position of the American Heart Association. Copyright is owned or held by the American Heart Association, Inc., and all rights are reserved.
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