America’s lifespan has doubled since 1776 — experts reveal what changed
At this time, people’s understanding of disease started to improve, and public health measures were developed to minimize risk.
During the late 1800s, germ theory became widely accepted in medicine and public health, helping shape the Sanitary Era, the expert said.
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“The Federal Quarantine Act of 1878 allowed the government to prevent spread of infection from out of the country, from epidemics like yellow fever,” she said. “Food safety regulations went into effect in 1906, when the Pure Food and Drug Act and Federal Meat Inspection Act were passed.”
By 1900, the average life expectancy was about 49 years old, according to the National Vitals Statistics Report.
Another major landmark in increasing lifespan came with the development of vaccines and antibiotics to prevent and treat disease, Kazanjian noted.
One major landmark in increasing lifespan came with the development of vaccines and antibiotics to prevent and treat disease, experts say. (iStock)
“Jenner developed the smallpox vaccine in 1796, Pasteur created vaccines for rabies and anthrax in the 1880s, and several scientists created vaccines for polio, measles, influenza, mumps and rubella in the mid 1900s,” she said.
“Antibiotics proliferated in the 1940s, specifically penicillin and tetracycline. By 1950, the US life expectancy was about 68 years old.”
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From the mid-20th century to 2014, life expectancy continued to rise, Kazanjian said, largely due to “major gains” in medical knowledge of ways to prevent heart disease and stroke.
Public health campaigns promoting smoking cessation also played a role, as declining smoking rates helped reduce deaths from lung cancer, heart disease and stroke, according to the CDC.
“Motor vehicles became safer and carseats became staples,” Kazanjian noted.
Modern longevity is more focused on preventing chronic disease and less about surviving childhood infections. (iStock)
According to the National Institutes of Health, advances in emergency medical services and trauma care have substantially reduced deaths after serious injuries.
Development of pharmaceuticals for cardiovascular disease and cancer also contributed to longer lives, according to Kazanjian.
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Modern longevity is more focused on preventing chronic disease and less about surviving childhood infections, noted Nneoma Oparaji, MD, a triple board-certified media physician specializing in obesity, lifestyle and internal medicine.
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“The next frontier will be less about living longer, but more about living healthier longer,” Houston-based Oparaji told Fox News Digital.
Kazanjian pointed out that between 2014 and 2026, there has been a fall and a rise in lifespan.
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“The fall was due to young adult deaths from drug overdoses, particularly the opioid epidemic, suicides and alcohol-related deaths,” she told Fox News Digital.
The COVID-19 pandemic reduced U.S. life expectancy by more than two years between 2019 and 2021 before it began recovering, CDC data shows.
Advances in sanitation, clean water, nutrition, vaccination and medical care have contributed to lower mortality rates. (iStock)
Although U.S. life expectancy has rebounded since the pandemic, it remains below that of other high-income countries, largely because of higher death rates from chronic diseases, substance use and other preventable causes, according to KFF.
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Obesity rates also continue to climb, contributing to higher numbers of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer, Kazanjian said.
“Most concerning is the rise in obesity in children,” she added.
“The next frontier will be less about living longer, but more about living healthier longer.”
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