You're Fatter, Healthier ...?

A study comparing the U.S. population in the 1970's versus today has found that overall, the population is healthier.

Harvard economists David Cutler and Ed Glaeser and University of Michigan medical school professor Allison Rosen compared adult death rates in 1971-1975 to rates in 1999-2002. For people aged 25-74, the ten year risk of death fell from 9.8% to 8.4%; for older adults aged 55-74, the ten year risk fell from 25.7% to 21.7%.

The improvement was driven by less smoking and improved control of blood pressure. Increased obesity partially offset the gains, and may play an even larger role as today's overweight young people age -- so much so that the positive trend could reverse.

Major trends included:

• Smoking rates have fallen by more than 1/3 since 1960, but is still responsible for about 435,000 deaths per year;
• Obesity rates have doubled in the last twenty years, and obesity causes between 100,000 and 400,000 deaths per year. Obesity is linked to diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol levels, all of which increase mortality. Medications for hypertension and cholesterol control have helped.
• Alcohol consumption has declined by 20% since 1980 (causing about 85,000 deaths);

All of these can -- to a greater or lesser extent -- be controlled by the individual.

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A pdf copy of the study is here.