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[Intheflorsh]

A study on mortality rates released on Thursday by the National Center for Health Statistics showed that Americans could expect to live for 78.8 years in 2015, a decrease of 0.1 from the year before. The overall death rate increased 1.2 percent — that’s about 86,212 more deaths than those recorded in 2014.

Dr. Peter Muennig, a professor of health policy and management at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, said in an interview that the decline was a “uniquely American phenomenon” in comparison with other developed countries, like Japan or Sweden.

“A 0.1 decrease is huge,” Dr. Muennig said. “Life expectancy increases, and that’s very consistent and predictable, so to see it decrease, that’s very alarming.”

For researchers, the numbers reflect a culmination of problems: eight of the top 10 causes of death showed an increase in death rates, including those from heart disease, diabetes and kidney disease. Deaths from Alzheimer’s rose 15.7 percent, unintentional injuries rose 6.7 percent and suicide rose 2.3 percent.

The infant mortality rate, often the marker researchers use to gauge the health of a population, rose slightly, but Dr. Jiaquan Xu, one of the authors of the study, said that the rise was not considered significant.

Dr. Muennig said that popular theories for the cause of the decline, including an increase in obesity rates and an opiod epidemic, fail to explain a problem that feels broader.

“If you actually dissect the data neither of those arguments hold,” he said. “This report slams it home that this is really a mystery.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/08/h...eclines.html&eventName=Watching-article-click

To put this in perspective, 1993 was the year HIV related deaths were at their peak. But unlike then, the decline this year is not attributable to any one major factor. It's also worth pointing out that a 0.1 is a massive drop, especially in a "first world" country like America where life expectancy usually rises steadily.

Decrease thread's life expectancy if old.

 

[Mysterious]

 

[Not]

Avatar quote.

EDIT: sigh

 

[bobbychalkers]

2016 = gas leak year confirmed

 

[Demoskinos]

Well that's what you get when you have a fucked up medical system and nobody can afford to go to the doctor and mental illness is stigmatized so much that people who need help never get it and then unfortunately take their own lives.

The sad part is that our politicians don't give a fuck.

 

[PumpkinSpice]

I have two theories:

1) There has been a recent uptick in driving miles which could be leading to more car crash deaths.

2) Suicide rates ticking up disproportionately hits young people and would likely have a skewed effect on life expectancy from birth.

 

[acevans2]

You can't really blame 2016 for having news about 2015's life expectancy decline.

Here's the study this news is referring to: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db267.htm

 

[Randolph Freelander]

We'll be dealing with the outcome of Trump's policies for the rest of our lives. The bright side is those lives will be shorter.

 

[timetokill]

Since we won't get to use this for much longer...

Thanks Obama.

 

[SillyEskimo]

On mobile your link goes to the NYT front page.

They talked about this on NPR this morning. One of the experts said the bump was so small that it should be taken as an anomaly until a trend is established.

 

[slit]

Well that's what you get when you have a fucked up medical system and nobody can afford to go to the doctor and mental illness is stigmatized so much that people who need help never get it and then unfortunately take their own lives.

The sad part is that our politicians don't give a fuck.

The politicians don't give a fuck because the people don't give a fuck.

 

[echoshifting]

Since we won't get to use this for much longer...

Thanks Obama.

HA if you think they're retiring that you have another thing coming, friend

If Obama can be blamed for stuff that happened under Bush he will most definitely be blamed for all sorts of bullshit caused by Trump and his administration. Take it to the bank.

 

[God Dayumm]

Thanks Obamacare /jk

I have two theories:

1) There has been a recent uptick in driving miles which could be leading to more car crash deaths.

2) Suicide rates ticking up disproportionately hits young people and would likely have a skewed effect on life expectancy from birth.

Four of the main causes of death listed (heart disease, kidney failure, diabetes and alzheimer) are directly caused by sugar and obesity. It is overtaking smoking as the main cause of death and no politician, except Michelle Obama, has acknowledged the issue

 

[SapientWolf]

Isn't the life expectancy already abnormally low due to the health care situation?

 

[slit]

Thanks Obamacare /jk



Four of the main causes of death listed (heart disease, kidney failure, diabetes and alzheimer) are directly caused by sugar and obesity. It is overtaking smoking as the main cause of death and no politician, except Michelle Obama, has acknowledged the issue

Actually there is no conclusive evidence that obesity has anything to do with Alzheimer's. It's definitely not directly linked in any case.

 

[PumpkinSpice]

Thanks Obamacare /jk



Four of the main causes of death listed (heart disease, kidney failure, diabetes and alzheimer) are directly caused by sugar and obesity. It is overtaking smoking as the main cause of death and no politician, except Michelle Obama, has acknowledged the issue

Says in the OP that obesity doesn't explain the problem.

 

[God Dayumm]

Actually there is no conclusive evidence that obesity has anything to do with Alzheimer's. It's definitely not directly linked in any case.

Sugar has a link with Alzheimer's and a bunch of other mental illnesses, but not with diabetes.
Obesity has a link with diabetes but not with Alzheimer's (as you said correctly).

Obesity + excessive sugar consumption means that you will likely suffer all of the above

 

[Kayhan]

What has Obama wrought.

 

[slit]

Sugar has a link with Alzheimer's and a bunch of other mental illnesses, but not with diabetes.
Obesity has a link with diabetes but not with Alzheimer's (as you said correctly).

Obesity + excessive sugar consumption means that you will likely suffer all of the above

Again excess sugar has not been proven to cause Alzheimer's. There have been studies that have tried to find that link in humans but it's not conclusive. The rise in Alzheimer's has more to do with people living longer which is ironic since that trend now seems to be bucking.

 

[Deleted member 231381]

Looks like an anomaly from the dataset - there's no particular thing that seems to be driving the change; just almost every recorded cause of death happened to be a bit higher than the year before, from strokes to accidents to suicide. Life expectancy from 65 remained the same, though, so I'd guess the numbers are most impacted by suicides because someone committing suicide at 20 when they would have lived to be 80 is a 60 year difference.

 

[lazygecko]

Uniquely American? I thought life expentancy was dropping in Britain too.

 

[TangoAlphaLima]

2016 = gas leak year confirmed

Data is from 2015. We don't know what the data from 2016 holds (but you'd think it's very unlikely to have two declines in a row).

 

[KDR_11k]

Isn't the life expectancy already abnormally low due to the health care situation?

The biggest impact on total life expectancy is infant mortality which is unusually high in the US for a first world country AFAIK.

 

[8-Bit Sunset]

Meat and alcohol consumption (and mainly crappy processed meat at that) is FAR higher then it's ever been is the main contributor to the heart disease, diabetes and kidney disease.
Moderation is the key and maintaining a healthy body weight and remaining active.

 

[Pop-O-Matic]

Data is from 2015. We don't know what the data from 2016 holds (but you'd think it's very unlikely to have two declines in a row).

2017: American life expectancy plummets to "sometime within the next 6 months" across the board.

 

[Septimius]

Meat and alcohol consumption (and mainly crappy processed meat at that) is FAR higher then it's ever been is the main contributor to the heart disease, diabetes and kidney disease.
Moderation is the key and maintaining a healthy body weight and remaining active.

Really? You're attributing heart disease and diabetes to protein? Crappy processed meat sucks, but believing the fat pandemic in the US is attributed to anything but simple carbs and sugar is daft.

 

[8-Bit Sunset]

Really? You're attributing heart disease and diabetes to protein? Crappy processed meat sucks, but believing the fat pandemic in the US is attributed to anything but simple carbs and sugar is daft.

??
Are you saying egg and bacon everyday for breakfast, ham sandwich for lunch and another serving of meat for dinner is not going to take it's toll on your arteries? Washed down with some booze every weekend? That kind of lifestyle catches up with people. Seen it with my own eyes and still do. People need more whole grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds and healthy fats and at least 40 mins of exercise everyday. Labeling meat as "protein" when it is loaded with saturated fat and antibiotics and food dyes is a major contributor to heart failure whether you choose to believe it or not! There are far more heart healthy sources around.

 

[Sarcasm]

Considering heroin deaths are higher then gun, doesn't surprise me.