Peak life expectancy
Yves Smith points us to a MacroBusiness post on declining peak life expectancy which points to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (this link is to an array of articles, as the link in MacroBusiness appears to stop at the gateway). Yves states:
This post from MacroBusiness points to a development that has (predictably) gone largely unreported in America, namely, that life expectancy is declining. The article discusses some of the probable causes and implications. It interestingly omits rising income disparity as a culprit. We quoted Michael Prowse on this topic in early 2007:
…
By Cameron Murray, a professional economist with a background in property development, environmental economics research and economic regulation. Cross posted from MacroBusiness
Life expectancy has peaked in some US States according to recent research. This follows research published in 2005 that suggests current living children may not outlive their parents, and that peak life expectancy in the US may be reached between 2030 and 2040. Mostly, this is attributed to the massive spike in childhood obesity which typically results in lifelong obesity and associated health problems.
Reader Sock Puppet points us to several other sources for discussion:
Slide show obesity with time by state
County data maps life expectancy pretty well
CDC sourcing.
Priorities all wrong, run the US for a few, get rid of the mass when they are no longer useful.
The environment is filled with health risks.
Millions do not have access to routine health screening.
Depleted social safety net.
Calvinism, if you are poor or sick it is retribution.
>20% of US government spending to blow things up around the empire.
“It interestingly omits rising income disparity as a culprit.”
An interesting observation, but it fails to note that income disparity makes itself present, albeit through the back door, by the link to obesity. Guess what group(s) experience the highest levels of childhood obesity? The very rich eat very well. The rest, especially the poor, eat fat.
Another interesting omission of income disparity in a discussion of changing times appeared in the NY Times yesterday. The focus of the article is totally unrelated to life expectancy, but the omission is apparent. The article reviews the change in ticket pricing on Broadway, noting that hit shows are bringing in as much as $350 for choice seats. No where does the article address the issue of the level of income required to feel comfortable paying $700-$800 for a twofer to a Broadway show. Nor does the article address the issue of who won’t be enjoying musical extravaganzas on the White Way any longer.
Income disparity is OK to discuss as a theoretical concept. The actual results, like a serious budgetary imbalance, can’t find the link to a cause.
Jack: “Guess what group(s) experience the highest levels of childhood obesity? The very rich eat very well. The rest, especially the poor, eat fat.”
Carbs are the main culprit, right? As in high fructose corn syrup?
It used to be pellagra, now it’s obesity. Maybe that’s progress.
Check out any “fast food” emporium. You’re not going to find any of Charles Koch’s friends or family. The working class has McDonalds for daily fare and Applebee’s for their haute cuisine. It’s not just carbs. It’s fat, more fat and a bit more fat after that.
My answer at Nked Capitalism:
We do wear out after a period of time. I suspect how quickly we wear out could be based upon life style, income, and diet. To answer your first statement, obesity in the is generation of children has led to an expected lowering of longevity in the US. This is the first time that one US generation will not out live the preceding generation. Diabetes is one of the fastest growing disorder plaguing the population of the US. Why???
Saletan at Slate had argued against the a law being passed in LA which had restricted the numbers of fast food restaurants in one section of the city. Never mind there was a fast food restaurant within walking distance for the residents of this particular section of LA or that there was one fast food restaurant for every 1300 residents. Cheaper, fattier, and less healthier foods are more readily available today and/or in lower income areas than ever before and this trend is growing overseas as well. The convenience of fast food impacts not only low income; but, it has also becomes a matter of convenience for high income as as well. Quality of food and the availability of quality food are issues.
We walk less and do less manual labor than our babyboomer predecessors. With the advent of suburbs outside of the cities and the two income families to make ends meet, we find ourselves driving more than we do taking busses, trains, or walking to work. People and industry moved out of the cities. The work level for many of us confines us to our desks for numerous hours. At the other end of the spectrum the lower incomes still face long and hard hours doing manual labor in order to meet the needs of a family. Income has stagnated for much of the population requiring a two earner income. The numbers of people within the Civilian Labor Force has decreased with the shift of emphasis from labor intensive investments to investments that are little more than gambling producing greater gains. Productivity gains have shifted away from labor to capital since the eighties.
The healthcare model is still services for fees which is heavily skewed towards specialties rather than preventative care. This has to be changed to a better
outcomes for fees with a heavy emphasis on preventative healthcare. While the ACA is not the shining beacon we could have had, it is a start in the right direction. The access to healthcare is still limited to those who have jobs and who also can afford it.
Briefly, all three of these factors are having an impact on the health of the population.
bought some Campbells vegetable soup the other day.
over 600mg sodium per serving.
since i don’t eat a lot of salt it tasted to me like eating raw salt from the shaker. i can’t imagine what the diets of people are like who could eat the stuff without choking.
vegetable soup.
coberly:
You will be well preserved after death from the intake of salt.
No salt needed for your soylent green.