"Any halfway clever devil would decorate the highway to hell as beautiful as possible."
-Criss Jami
It's widely accepted that our lifespans have increased over the centuries. This is seldom questioned, and credit is readily given to improvements in healthcare and lifestyle. Time Magazine reported in 2013 that "There’s no doubt that we’re living longer than previous generations."[1] According to the U.S. National Institute on Aging, "the dramatic increase in average life expectancy during the 20th century ranks as one of society’s greatest achievements" and is a "triumph for public health projects of the 20th century, which immunized millions of people."[2]
The impression that we're living longer than ever may quell concerns about the ever-increasing toxicity of our food, water, and environment. But is this overwhelmingly accepted view supported by the facts? Although statistical averages seem to say so, these can be very misleading.
An Aging Population
For example, consider the U.S. Census Bureau's report that the elderly, who comprised only 1 in every 25 Americans in 1900, made up 1 in 8 in 1994.[3] The proportion of elderly people is indeed increasing, not just in the U.S. but across the world.[4] At first glance, one might equate an aging population to an increased life expectancy. However, the data are skewed by societal factors that the Census Bureau neglects to mention. Today's elderly population in the U.S. is particularly large because of the time-delayed impact of the "baby boom," i.e., the spike in fertility levels beginning in the 1940s after the Great Depression and second world war.[5] Furthermore, over the past two centuries, the U.S. has followed the worldwide trend of decreasing fertility rates (birth rates).[6, 7]
Because death occurs at all ages whereas births occur only at age zero, a declining birth rate yields a lower proportion of young people in the population and thus a relatively large proportion of the elderly.[8] Hence, declining fertility is at least partly responsible for the world's aging population.
Declining fertility is linked to the following:
• Food and environmental factors. Studies show that modern foods such as soda pop, soy-based products, and low-fat dairy, as well as chemicals used in the packaging in manufacturing of food products, such as BPA and PFOA, lower fertility in men and women.[9]
• Increase in contraceptive use. The modern birth-control movement originated in the early 1900s, and the 1960s saw a drastic increase in the available methods of contraception, including hormonal pills and intrauterine devices. The proportion of women who had ever had a male partner use a condom was 52% in 1982, 82% in 1995, and 93.4% in 2006-2010.[10]
• Partnership instability and value changes. Recent times have seen value changes, including pressure to relocate without regard to partnerships, due to the globalization of business. Many men and women choose to have fewer children because of the instability of relationships.[11]
• Urbanization. In 1800, 95% of the U.S. population was farm families, wherein large numbers of children were desirable. As the nation industrialized and urbanized in the 1800s, large families became a burden to workers living in cities, and more women began to pursue careers.[6] A Japanese study found that urbanization has had a significant effect on the declining birth rate for females.[12]
Although at first glance an aging population suggests that we live longer on average, closer examination reveals other forces that have decreased the ratio of young people in recent centuries.
Lifespans of our Ancestors
The people of ancient times lived as long as we do today, if not longer. Greek historian Herodotus recorded a dialogue between the king of Ethiopia and Persian visitors in which the king inquired as to the lifespan of the Persians, who replied that they lived up to 80 years. The king was unimpressed, reporting that the Ethiopians commonly lived 120 years or longer.[13] According to Chinese medical records, people of the Qin and Han dynasties lived well over 200 years.[14] In the Bible, that is, the history of the Israelites, the Psalmist writes, "The days of our years are threescore years and ten," indicating a typical lifespan of 70 years (Psalms 90:10). Regarding the remarkable lifespans of antediluvian Biblical patriarchs, who lived many hundreds of years (Genesis 5), noted scholar Josephus of 1st-century Rome had the following to say:[15]
"Let no one, upon comparing the lives of the ancients with our lives, and with the few years which we now live, think that what we have said of them is false; or make the shortness of our lives at present an argument that neither did they attain to so long a duration of life; for those ancients were beloved of God, and [lately] made by God himself; and because their food was then fitter for the prolongation of life, might well live so great a number of years."
On the basis of statistics, some people believe that the ancients died early and that our lifespans have increased drastically in modern times. According to a National Geographic article, "[Ancient Egyptian] workers' lives were short. On average a man lived 40 to 45 years, a woman 30 to 35."[16] Did our ancestors self-destruct as they reached their 40s? Once again, statistical subtleties lead to erroneous conclusions.
In this case, the stats are skewed by the high infant mortality rates of antiquity. Because statistics are based on averages, the deaths of infants and children drastically offset the figures of those who live to an old age. Many factors contributed to the relatively high mortality rates of the past. For example, before advancements in agriculture, food distribution, and food preservation, famines and droughts occurred often, and the poor had a far harder time obtaining food than they do today. Thus, starvation and malnutrition were major threats. Malnourished mothers were likely to die in childbirth or lose their newborns, and malnourished babies succumbed to diseases, plagues, and infections caused or aggravated by poor sanitation. Before urban populations became the norm, young children were also far more susceptible to parasites and animal attacks, which remain killers in today's less-industrialized societies.[17] Furthermore, infanticide was common in many ancient cultures.[18]
More Recent Times
Let's consider the influence of child mortality on the average lifespan in recent centuries. Charts such as the one below[19] suggest that on average, people lived only to age 40 until the 1850s, when lifespans began to increase.
The first seven U.S. presidents (1789-1829) were all inaugurated at age 57 or older.[20] In 1841, William Henry Harrison became president at age 68! Why would people vote into office presidents who were already well past the average lifespan of 40? In fact, our forefathers from centuries past were not scheduled to die young, nor did they naturally:
• Johann Gutenberg (c. 1398-1468, 70 years)
• Montezuma I (c. 1398-1469, 71 years)
• Sofonisba Anguissola (1532-1625, 93 years)
• Elizabeth I (1533-1603, 69 years)
• Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616, 73 years)
• Sophia Brahe (1556-1643, 87 years)
• Galileo Galilei (1564-1642, 77 years)
• William Harvey (1578-1657, 79 years)
• Anna Nzinga Mbande (1583-1663, 80 years)
• John Locke (1632-1704, 72 years)
• Isaac Newton (1643-1727, 84 years)
• Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790, 84 years)
• Adam Smith (1723-1790, 67 years)
• Immanuel Kant (1724-1804, 79 years)
• Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826, 83 years)
Do your own search for people dating back a few centuries, or walk through a cemetery, and you'll see that the lifespans of people back then were no shorter than ours.
With that in mind, check out the child mortality over the past few centuries:[21]
Consider Sweden, for which the chart above has ample data. In 1750, about 300 out of every 1,000 children died before age 5, whereas in 1950, it was about 27 out of every 1,000 children. This decrease in child mortality over the past few centuries has undoubtedly caused the average lifespan to increase, giving the impression that we live longer today.
Life expectancy at birth is not an indicator of lifespan. In 1850, a U.S. newborn was expected to live 38.3 years on average, whereas a 10-year-old was expected to live 48 additional years (to age 58)! Deaths of young children have been drastically reduced in recent times, whereas the lifespans of those surviving beyond childhood have not increased significantly. This is confirmed by the following table:[22, 23]
Physician Wilfred Sisk explains:[22]
"At birth white males could expect to live, on the average, 38 years in 1850, 48.2 years in 1900 and 65.2 years in 1947. This is a clear and really gratifying increase of 27.2 years. Let us compare that with the life expectancy at age ten. In 1850 a child who reached ten years of age could expect to live to be 58 years of age, in 1900 the expectancy was for 60.6 years, and in 1947 for 68.1 years. For the children who reached ten years of age there was a gain of only ten years. ... Let us contrast that with the expectancy at age 40. In 1850 white men who lived to be 40 years old could expect on the average to live 27.9 years longer or to a total age of 67.9. In 1900 the expectancy had actually decreased to 27.7 (total age of 67.7) while in 1947 it had only increased to 30.6 (total age 70.6). Thus we can see that for men who lived to be 40 years of age the life expectancy had only increased 2.7 years in virtually 100 years. This is certainly not much to be proud of. At age 50 the life expectancy table is no better. In 1850 a man age 50 could expect to live 21.6 more years (to a total age of 71.6 years) whereas in 1900 he could expect 20.8 years (total age 70.8 years) and in 1947 the expectancy was 22.3 years (total age 72.3 years). In almost 100 years we have improved the picture for age 50 by only 1.3 years. As you will see from the table for age 60 and 70 we have actually lost ground. The death rates in 1850 were better than those today."
National Geographic's comment about the Ancient Egyptians' lifespans inspires the sentiment that we live far longer than they did, neglecting to mention that for every infant who died, there may have been a man who lived to age 80. With proper consideration of the influence of child mortality rates, we see that people have always lived into their 70s and 80s, regardless of the "average lifespan".
Quality of Life
Consideration must be given to not only how long we live but also how well. In modern times, although we've seen a decrease in communicable diseases, there has been a marked increase in chronic, degenerative diseases. Cancer, heart disease, and diabetes have skyrocketed in the past century.[24-26] Today's elderly are weaker, need doctors more, and are operated on more.[22] They live, but they suffer.![]
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Some contend that degenerative diseases have increased because we live longer. But this argument falls flat in light of the increasing incidence of such diseases among children.[27-29] The reality is that today, many people need medications and operations in order to live as long as our ancestors did naturally. In the past, elderly people were vital and enjoyed active lifestyles. Now, people are hopped up on pharmaceuticals by age 40, and the elderly are characterized by physical and mental frailty, suffering from degenerative diseases and cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer's.
It's worthwhile to consider populations that were not exposed to the trends of industrialized nations. In the 1950s, Navajo Indians living on U.S. reservations had such a low incidence of cancer that the journal Arizona Medicine published an article called "Cancer Immunity in the Navajo." Since then, the rates of stomach, liver, kidney, and gallbladder cancer in the Navajo have climbed steadily, and today there is no talk of Navajo immunity. The increase in cancer among the Navajo is attributed to uranium mining, which contaminated their food and water.[30] A reservation spanning parts of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah was one of the world's richest uranium deposits, and from 1944 to 1986, millions of tons of uranium were chiseled and blasted from the environment. Private companies operated the mines, and the U.S. government was the sole customer: much of the uranium was used for weapons projects. Over the decades, the Navajos inhaled radioactive dust from waste piles and drank contaminated water from abandoned pit mines that filled with rain.[31] This is chronicled by investigative journalist Judy Pasternak in the book Yellow Dirt: A Poisoned Land and the Betrayal of the Navajos.
Like the Navajo, many cultures previously isolated from Western society had very low or no incidence of cancer, diabetes, and heart disease, as detailed by physicians living with the people. In the past century, processed sugar, white flour, and other refined foods were introduced and became staples to these cultures' diets. Before the industrialization of food and the advent of GMOs, pesticides, and toxins, the nutrient ratios of these peoples were vastly different.
One society that remains relatively isolated is the Hunza people, who live on the northwestern border of Pakistan, amidst gorgeous, towering mountain ranges. Because of the scarcity of food, supplies, and transport, the region is closed to the general public, and special permission is required to enter it. The few travelers to the Hunza Valley return with tales of the vibrant health of the people. English physician Sir Robert McCarrison, after living among the Hunzas, reported that "their buoyant abdominal health has, since my return to the West, provided a remarkable contrast with the dyspeptic and colonic lamentations of our highly civilized communities." He said that the Hunzas "are unusually fertile and long-lived, and endowed with nervous systems of notable stability." As to the reasons for their health and vigor, he cited the following:[32]
• "The people live on the unsophisticated foods of Nature: milk, eggs, grains, fruits and vegetables. I don’t suppose that one in every thousand of them has ever seen a tinned salmon, a chocolate or a patent infant food, nor that as much sugar is imported into their country in a year as is used in a moderately sized hotel of this city in a single day.”
• “Their religion (Islam) prohibits alcohol."
• "Their manner of life requires the vigorous exercise of their bodies.”
McCarrison replicated the dietary contrast in a study on rats, feeding one group of animals the Hunza diet and another group a diet typical in England, including white bread, margarine, and canned meat. Over a period of two and a quarter years, the Hunza rats exhibited no diseases, no deaths from natural causes among adults, and no infantile mortality except for accidental deaths. The other rats succumbed to various diseases, were nervous and apt to bite their keepers, and began to kill and eat the weaker ones among them two months into the experiment. Similar correlations between diet and antisocial behavior have been observed in cats and schoolchildren.[32]
The chronic diseases that we think of as common have not always been so. In fact, they are specific to technically advanced societies and are rare in other parts of the world. When people move from areas of low incidence to areas of high incidence, such as America and Britain, they adopt the diseases of their hosts, not of their homelands.[33]
Takeaway
Ask a doctor if we are getting healthier and he may tell you that we have added many years to our lifespan. Medical agencies reiterate this notion unhesitatingly. In a bulletin dated November 17, 1947, the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company said, "The average length of life in the Western World has increased about 25 years in the past century." But it's the average lifespan of babies that has increased, not the lifespan of grown people. This has been confirmed by reputable sources:[22]
• "A man aged 60 can expect to live no longer than his ancestor could after 60 at the close of the Revolution, 170 years ago. Middle-aged people, at this time, have been led to expect longer lives by reports of major gains in life expectancy. The facts do not show it!" -U.S. News and World Report, March 24, 1950
• "Medical science has not increased the life span at all, a New York University doctor said today, and people in general will be better off if they realize it. ... Nothing has been accomplished to increase the ultimate life span." -Detroit Times, March 13, 1953 (referring to a speech by Dr. Michael Dacso)
• "In the United States all official propaganda has long stressed our steady improvement in the so-called 'expectation of life,' but this is primarily a reflection of the infant death rate. In total expectation of life the United States is about midway in the countries listed...which means that we are relatively healthy as infants and children but unhealthy as adults." -University of Minnesota, 1953 bulletin
• "The lack of any substantial progress in the extension of the span of life for the over-60 might be considered one of the failures of modern medicine." -The Lancet, October 6, 1951
When concerns are raised about the increasing dangers of today's environment, food, and medicine, one may think that we are living longer now, so there's nothing to worry about. This impression is based on statistics that don't tell the whole story. Close examination reveals that we live no longer than men and women of the past and that many of those who live into their twilight years are afflicted by conditions that are unheard of elsewhere. While I'm thankful for the conveniences afforded to us by technology, on this issue, I say we forgo the complacent security offered by mainstream dogma and learn a thing or two from those who live—and thrive—without modern conventions.
Sources
Credit to http://roarofwolverine.com/archives/3442
[1] http://healthland.time.com/2013/07/29/were-living-longer-and-healthier/
[2] http://www.nia.nih.gov/research/publication/global-health-and-aging/living-longer
[3] http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/aging_population/cb11-194.html
[4] http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/worldageing19502050/pdf/81chapteriii.pdf
[5] http://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/jul/20/census-population-ageing-global
[6] http://www.faculty.fairfield.edu/faculty/hodgson/Courses/so142/fertility/fertility.htm
[7] http://ourworldindata.org/data/population-growth-vital-statistics/fertility-rates/
[8] http://www.nber.org/chapters/c2389.pdf
[9] http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/12/09/can-food-make-you-infertile-foods-to-eat-and-avoid.html
[10] http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhsr/nhsr062.pdf
[11] The ESHRE Capri Workshop Group. Europe the continent with the lowest fertility. Human Reproduction Update. 2010; vol. 16 issue 6
[12] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7718907
[13] Herodotus (translated by Robin Waterfield). The Histories. Oxford University Press, New York 1998, p. 178 (The Histories, Book 3, 22-23)
[14] Hou, J. P. Healthy Longevity Techniques: East-West Anti-Aging Strategies. Chapter 1
[15] Flavius Josephus (translated by William Whiston). The Complete Works. Thomas Nelson, Nashville 1998, p. 39 (Antiquities of the Jews, Book I, Chapter III)
[16] http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/data/2001/11/01/html/ft_20011101.5.fulltext.html
[17] http://www.rom.on.ca/en/education/online-activities/ancient-egypt/life-in-ancient-egypt/infant-mortality
[18] Harris, M. Cannibals and Kings: The Origins of Cultures. Fontana/Collins, Glasgow 1978, p. 24
[19] http://ourworldindata.org/data/population-growth-vital-statistics/life-expectancy/
[20] http://robinsonlibrary.com/america/unitedstates/presidents/byage.htm
[21] http://ourworldindata.org/data/population-growth-vital-statistics/child-mortality/
[22] http://harvoa.org/polio/rodaleAge.htm
[23] http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0005140.html
[24] Roth, G. A.; Forouzanfar, M. H.; Moran, A. E.; Barber, R.; Nguyen, G.; Feigin, V. L.; Naghavi, M.; Mensah, G. A.; Murray, C. J. L.; Demographic and Epidemiologic Drivers of Global Cardiovascular Mortality. The New England Journal of Medicine. April 2015; vol. 372 p. 1333-1341
[25] http://io9.gizmodo.com/5920871/how-we-died-200-years-ago-compared-to-how-we-die-today
[26] http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/745494
[27] http://curesearch.org/Incidence-Rates-Over-Time
[28] http://www.world-heart-federation.org/heart-facts/fact-sheets/cvd-in-children-and-youth/
[29] http://diabetes.diabetesjournals.org/content/51/12/3353.full
[30] http://www.nec.navajo-nsn.gov/portals/0/reports/navajo%20cancer%20rpt%20062610.pdf
[31] http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2006-11-24/news/NAVAJO24_1_navajo-reservation-uranium-mines
[32] http://alternative-doctor.com/anti-aging/true-story-on-hunza-diet/
[33] Crawford, M.; Crawford, S. What We Eat Today: The Food Manipulators vs. The People. Stein and Day, New York 1972, p. 13