India's life expectancy will stagnate by 2050!

Life expectancy in America by 2050: A new study by the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) estimates that life expectancy in the US will increase from 78.3 years in 2022 to 80.4 years by 2050. The modest improvement signals a key public health challenge in which the world's ranking of life expectancy in the US is expected to fall, from 49th in 2022 to 66th in 2050.

In such a situation, the USA will lag behind many high-income and some middle-income countries. A slower rise is also predicted for women, with their world ranking falling from 51st to 74th, while men's rankings are expected to drop from 51st to 65th.

Why can such a result come?

The study, published in The Lancet, links this limited progress to rising obesity rates and persistent health risks such as smoking and drug use disorders, which are expected to increase chronic disease and imperial mortality, although reductions from major causes such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes are predicted.

What can America do?

The IHME suggests that solutions to major health risks can boost life expectancy. For instance, reducing obesity, smoking and drug use disorder could add about half a year to life expectancy. Although obesity alone is a significant threat, the IHME estimates that more than 260 million Americans will be affected by 2050, indicating a serious public health crisis.

The opioid epidemic remains another major concern. Drug overdose deaths have declined marginally in recent years, but are projected to remain high, making the US the world leader in drug-related mortality by 2050. IHME emphasizes the need for expanded and more effective prevention and treatment programs to deal with this crisis.

The study also emphasizes the possibility of more improvement. Eliminating risks in areas such as childhood nutrition, immunisation and behavioural and metabolic factors could prevent 5,50,000 deaths annually by 2050, increasing life expectancy by about four years. Such a change would align the US with countries like Canada in health outcomes.

The researchers call for urgent action to reverse the projected decline in the global ranking. Dr. Stein Emil Volsett of the IHME emphasizes the urgency to adopt new health policies and strategies to address these challenges and improve future health outcomes.