By Staff Reports
(Hawaii)– From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.
We can thank modern medicine and public health innovations for achieving the longest life expectancies in U.S. history. If only we had ourselves to thank more, though.
Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention looked over the numbers. Researcher Kathleen Ethier says a baby born today could live to 79, and fewer people are dying before 80. But she says:
“Heart disease; cancer; chronic lung disease, which we often know of as COPD; and stroke are all chronic diseases. They’re the four leading causes of death, and they’re all potentially preventable.”
Quitting smoking or never starting, being physically active, and having healthy eating patterns that keep weight under control are key steps toward that goal.
The findings are in a CDC National Health Report.
Learn more at healthfinder.gov.
HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.