Why does our life expectancy increase every year?

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2007/aug/13/usa.ewenmacaskill

Despite being one of the richest countries in the world, America has dropped from 11th to 42nd place in 20 years, according to official US figures.>

Probably because of more unneeded operations and unneeded drugs. In France, TV magazine, and newspaper health and drug advertising is forbidden.

http://www.realfoodnutrients.com/NewsletterArticles/DiseaseMongering.htm

The "life expectancy" of a population is usually expressed as the mean number of years that would be lived by a group of individuals of age 0 (newborns). That is, add up the years lived by the whole group and divide by the number of people. The main reason why "life expectancy" has increased for most populations is that fewer babies and children die.

This surprised me...

The best country in North America is Canada, followed by Ottowa (14th place overall), Toronto (15th) and Montreal (23rd): Canada is officially a better place to live than the US. The best in the US is San Francisco in 27th place.

http://money.aol.co.uk/2014/02/19/the-best-and-worst-cities-in-the-world-to-live/

Didn't surprise me.

Probably because I'm more optimistic than you, less cynical...

Yes Rickoshay75, contrex's replies often glister and seethe with a sardonicism so cynical that only my sturdiest smock suffices.

How he can say, "Didn't surprise me", is almost beyond me and I'm sure you.

But back to the question.

From an actuarial perspective, one's life expectancy increases every year because it's only those that turn 99 that can reasonably expect to reach 100.

So there's a higher life expectancy in Canada than there is in Ottowa, Toronto, or Montreal.

Did you not study Geography or look at a map ever?

What has optimism got to do with working out which of two foreign countries has the best life expectancy?

That one was pretty damned hilarious. I suspect that there are a great many people in Canada who wish Toronto were a different country.

This list shows life expectancy for the 40 countries highest on the list.
Does not include Ottowa or Toronto.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_life_expectancy

There's a move afoot to try to turn London into a city state. I can't see it happening.

It's fairly obvious when you think about it, Canada has its health care provided by the state. Therefore in order to reduce the health budget it makes sense to promote a healthier population. (Cuba is way ahead of the rest when it comes to preventative medicine btw.)

America has its health care provided by private industry. Therefore, in order to increase profits, a less healthier population is what they want.

If you're a smoker, and you visit your doctor in the UK, you will be offered help to quit smoking, whether you've asked for it or not.

Haha.

Yeah, I had exactly the same reaction to the thread title when I read it.

Well lol to life and other contingencies.




What are the chances that that comes as no great surprise to me.

This thread is quibbling over the little stuff while ignoring the bigger trend. The question asks about the trend since 1890. The life expectancy for white males in the US (from birth) was 42.5 in 1890 and 76.3 in 2011. Other demographic groups have similar increases. And the increase has been pretty consistent year to year.

As the original post stated, over the past 100 years, the life expectancy in the US has nearly doubled. This trend is seen in developed countries throughout the world.

There are many reasons.

- Vaccinations save millions of lives.
- Antibiotics cure diseases that were once deadly.
- Clean drinking water. (This is an amazing advancement we take for granted).
- Fewer wars and Fewer suicides and less lung cancer (I have to correct the original post).
- A much lower infant mortality rate due to better medical care.
- Advancements in medical care. (From defibrillators to transplants)
- Better medical care in general. (We all have access to a hospital)
- Food security (there are very few people who die of hunger in developed countries now).
- Safer working conditions (thanks to the labor movement).
- Fast, safe transportation.
- Houses aren't lit by lanterns.


That is just the beginning of the list. The point is, human advancement is a good thing for life expectancy.

funny, i expect less and less from life year after year

Remember, "There's always a rainbow after the rain." Even though cost of living in different countries is getting worst and worst, many believing that until there's life, there's hope.

"There's always a rainbow after the rain."

No. Surely not always !