# Life Expectancies ?



## Micheal

Read an article on MSN Retirement from "24/7 Wall St" dealing with life expectancies and what states are the best and worst for living.
As per the article having access to health insurance, low poverty rates, and healthy habits (eating healthy and not smoking) contribute to higher life expectancies. Sooo.

The top 5:
1. Hawaii - life expectancy of 81.3 years
2. Minnesota - 81.1 years
3. California - 80.8 years
4. Connecticut - 80.8 years
5. Massachusetts - 80.5 years

The worst five:
1. Mississippi - life expectancy of 75 years
2. Alabama - 75.4 years
3. West Virginia - 75.4 years
4. Louisiana - 75.7 years 
5. Oklahoma - 75.9 years.

I draw no conclusions, just sorta happy NY didn't make the worst list of five. :hand: Seems like NY makes most all the other (mostly worst) lists compliments of the big city. :facepalm:

ound::hysterical:ound:


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## TxGypsy

How about sitting on a beach somewhere? I'm going to guess that is why Hawaii came in at number 1. There are also lots of statistics on your marital status affecting your life expectancy.

Since my search for a mate has not borne fruit, maybe I should just stay here on the beach so I don't die too young. I like this theory!  :buds:


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## Shrek

Works for me as I have no desire to live to be older than 75 as that is about the time where the diaper and dementia years begin getting more noticeable.

Guess I will just continue living life as I am right where I am at :rotfl:


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## Sawmill Jim

Dr told my my clesteroil and something else was high and I needed pills I said no .Dr said you need to change your diet I said no . Dr said what you want to do I said life my way till I die :happy2:


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## jwal10

I and you will live everyday you live, may as well live them to the fullest. No regrets. I would rather live good and sweet than long but sour....James


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## Michael W. Smith

Micheal - but those are just averages.

What about the Hawaiian who had a sudden heart attack at age 56?
Or the Mississippi centurian who is still alive at 102?

There are really too many variables to come up with an accurate life expectancy.

For example - my Dad's Mother and Aunts and Uncles lived into their 80's and 90's.

My Dad died at age 69.

My Mom's parents lived into their late 70's. My Mom died at age 47.

Both of my parents died from cancer.

So what does that mean for me - or my siblings? Will we take after my Dad's Mother (and Aunts and Uncles) or will we end up like our parents - death fairly young?

Add into the mix other than genetics and location - diet, exercise, etc and who is to really say?


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## manygoatsnmore

My maternal line isn't known for long lives, and my paternal line hits about 80 and goes senile, so I figure I have a max of 25 good years left. Part of the reason I retired early was so I could enjoy life while I was still in good enough shape to travel, or hike, or whatever else I feel like doing.


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## Micheal

Michael W. Smith said:


> Micheal - but those are just averages.


 Yep those are just averages...... and as with all averages there are the exceptions as you noted below.... 



> What about the Hawaiian who had a sudden heart attack at age 56?
> Or the Mississippi centurian who is still alive at 102?
> 
> There are really too many variables to come up with an accurate life expectancy.
> 
> For example - my Dad's Mother and Aunts and Uncles lived into their 80's and 90's.
> 
> My Dad died at age 69.
> 
> My Mom's parents lived into their late 70's. My Mom died at age 47.
> 
> Both of my parents died from cancer.
> 
> So what does that mean for me - or my siblings? Will we take after my Dad's Mother (and Aunts and Uncles) or will we end up like our parents - death fairly young?
> 
> Add into the mix other than genetics and location - diet, exercise, etc and who is to really say?


 On an individual basis I am beginning to think that life or at least living it is a crap shoot - and very little matters on what you do - life style wise - your odds of living even to an "average" is only 50/50 as that what it takes to get an average..... 
Soooo, :shrug: 
Enjoy the life you have till ..... the end :icecream:


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## 1shotwade

Micheal said:


> Read an article on MSN Retirement from "24/7 Wall St" dealing with life expectancies and what states are the best and worst for living.
> As per the article having access to health insurance, low poverty rates, and healthy habits (eating healthy and not smoking) contribute to higher life expectancies. Sooo.
> 
> The top 5:
> 1. Hawaii - life expectancy of 81.3 years
> 2. Minnesota - 81.1 years
> 3. California - 80.8 years
> 4. Connecticut - 80.8 years
> 5. Massachusetts - 80.5 years
> 
> The worst five:
> 1. Mississippi - life expectancy of 75 years
> 2. Alabama - 75.4 years
> 3. West Virginia - 75.4 years
> 4. Louisiana - 75.7 years
> 5. Oklahoma - 75.9 years.
> 
> I draw no conclusions, just sorta happy NY didn't make the worst list of five. :hand: Seems like NY makes most all the other (mostly worst) lists compliments of the big city. :facepalm:
> 
> ound::hysterical:ound:



Want 'a bet the guy that made the list is from New York?

Wade


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## Michael W. Smith

They need to break down those averages even more.

So in the "good" states you are expected to live an extra 5 years. I would like to know "on average" how those 5 years are lived.

If they are in a nursing home curled up in a ball, drooling, and haven't a clue what year it is - how worth it is to live those extra 5 years?

And Micheal - I think your right - it's all a crap shoot! How many healthy people have you known - they are the correct weight, they exercise everyday, they eat healthy, etc suddenly drop dead when they are young?

On the reverse side, you have people who are overweight, don't exercise, eat horribly, smoke and live into their 90's.

When your time is up, it's up.

So live each day to the fullest!


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## Convoy

Does anyone else think that genetics play a major part? My Dad's side is a prime example - no matter how they live (drink home-made moonshine, smoked 3 packs a day) they tend to live to be in their mid 90's and good health to that point, on the other hand I know people who have lost their entire family to cancer at a young age and don't smoke at all, eat healthy and all the rest.

Another thing I really wonder about is how much of the 'healthy' eating is useless if you don't push yourself physically everyday? I mean back in my great grandfathers time they ate what would be considered horribly healthwise (pound of bacon every morning then soak the bread in the grease and fry it) and they still lived to be a ripe old age.


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## Grandmotherbear

My maternal line tends to die youngish of heart attacks and strokes. The 2 longest lived were my grandmother and mother, who were borderline personality disorder. They had no stress, they gave it to everyone around them.
Paternal line tends towards chronic cardiac problems. I always dismissed it as being children of a country doctor pre-antibiotic days. Maybe untreated after effects of strep, such as rheumatic fever. But my generation is having cardiac problems now, so we'll probably hit the mid - late 70s llike our father. Our paternal aunts are in their 80s.

I think that most "health advice" is wishful thinking and not based on science, I read an article in a science/medical journal. There are 4 types of cholesterol in our bodies, and current testing lumps them all under one category-"cholesterol". The most prevalent kind, the kind that is mostly found in testing, is harmless. That is the kind the statins and other drugs target. The most harmful kind is found in the smallest amounts, isn't affected by statins. The blood test to discriminate between the types is close to a thousand dollars. Besides, cholesterol is needed for digestion, to form cell walls, to wrap nerves...It is not the evil bogey it's been made out to be.
Nutritionists decided that since chicken aand turkey are lower in fat, it would be smarter to eat things made with ground chicken and turkey. FDA regulates the amount of fat put into ground beef but had no standards whatsoever regarding the amount of fat in ground turkey and chicken. I used to pick up packages of ground turkey at Publix and just read the proportion of protein to fat. In most cases the fat content was 55% or higher. Ground beef is restricted to a maximum of 30% fat. The only time ground poultry has less fat than beef is when you don't add extra fat in those cases, you wind up with a texture like cube steak. This used to be a favorite rant of my father, the agricultural economist.

When you wash hands (not doing surgical scrub) you are supposed to lather for 20-30 seconds, to allow time for your skin surface fats to emulsify and your skin becomes too slippery for germs to hang onto and they are rinsed into the sink. Alcohol gel works by evaporation- it desiccates bacteria and they die of dehydration. So long as you get some gel on all your skin and let it evaporate instead of rinsing, wiping, or blowing dry your hands will be clean. Nevertheless, I read in an article recently that those people using alcohol gel should rub for 30 seconds, just as if they were washing with soap. Umm, no.:umno: It doesn't work the same way soap does so you don't need to go by the same timing.

Most sunscreens contained PABA when first came out, now I believe it's frowned on using PAba because of some longterm damage. Plusnow hexaclorophene, very big in the 70s as a germicide, causes cancer. People were told to eat margarine for their health and now trans fats are implicated in health issues...I reserve the right to strongly question any and all pronouncements by modern science when supporting research is funded by a drug company. I also argued with my nursing instructors in nursing school when they pronounced the absolute safety of Tylenol, saying it was impossible to overdose on it. I said there had been news reports of deaths by liver dysfunction following extremely large doses..I was told to sit down and shut up, but at the end of the semester they gave me a group apology...the news that Tylenol wasn't absolutely safe and could harm in large doses had finally been covered in their nursing magazines, months after it was reported in reputable news organizations..until they read it in a nursing journal, they had been promulgating harmful information.


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## Helena

Internet says I will live to be 106 !! and we all know that the internet is always rights ?? Now where is my crystal ball ??


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## pancho

I live in Mississippi and still plan on living until I am 100. 
Then I will decide if I want to live a little longer or not.


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## ceresone

Shreck, I hope I'm a long way from Diapers and Dementia!!
Maybe all the Chores keep me from losing my mind--or wait--will they be the cause of it??


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## Midgard

According to an app I downloaded I have another 16 years to go. When I hit 84 it's good bye world. Until then I plan on eating a lot of bacon and all the other good things. Life is good!


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## Miss Kay

I have two older brothers. One is overweight, was a heavy drinker for years until his stomach began bleeding, lazy is an understatement, yet he's still healthy at 71. The next brother was always thin, never drank or smoked, very conscience of what he ate (afraid of fat or eggs, had almonds everyday, walked daily, etc.) yet at 68 he has been on statins for years and had by pass surgery. He now has dementia so bad he forgets who his wife and grandchildren are. Maybe it is genetics or maybe all those statins and years of low fat starved his brain. Who knows. Me, I'm the baby girl and I intend to enjoy life and when it is no longer fun, I intend to go out on my own terms before I forget how. I personally think assisted suicide should be legal and totally up to me when I'm ready to go home. Statistically from what I understand, older people kill themselves more than younger ones. Maybe they just didn't want to live without a quality life.


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## Cabanaboy1313

It is a Red State vs. Blue State. 
Here is an interesting article from the Atlantic Magazine called "I hope to die at 75"
It is a long read but brings up some things to discuss.

http://www.theatlantic.com/features/archive/2014/09/why-i-hope-to-die-at-75/379329/


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## unregistered168043

If you notice, the worst states are the ones that tend toward higher obesity and a high population of African Americans. In almost all statistics, blacks simply get lower life expectancy averages. Could be that delicious but lard ridden soul food, life style ( drug, alcohol, tobacco use ), or just plain bad luck.

It is also true that wealthier people tend to live longer, access to health care might be a small part of it but they also tend to be thinner, exercise more, dont smoke as much, and are more likely to take proactive steps to improve their health or seek treatment earlier for an ailment. Many of these behaviors suggest to me that their higher expectancies might be a result of being smarter and that the increased wealth might be a consequence of intellect rather than the cause of healthier outcomes.


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## TheMartianChick

Darntootin said:


> If you notice, the worst states are the ones that tend toward higher obesity and a high population of African Americans. In almost all statistics, blacks simply get lower life expectancy averages. Could be that delicious but lard ridden soul food, life style ( drug, alcohol, tobacco use ), or just plain bad luck.
> 
> It is also true that wealthier people tend to live longer, access to health care might be a small part of it but they also tend to be thinner, exercise more, dont smoke as much, and are more likely to take proactive steps to improve their health or seek treatment earlier for an ailment. Many of these behaviors suggest to me that their higher expectancies might be a result of being smarter and that the increased wealth might be a consequence of intellect rather than the cause of healthier outcomes.


Nutrition plays a huge role, as does access to healthy food. 
Many of the traditional foods consumed by African Americans (aka soul food) is steeped in a tradition of poverty. Slaves ate lesser cuts of meat because that is what they were allowed to have. They learned to do whatever it took to make them tasty. When slavery ended, they were still poor and continued to eat the same foods.

Many areas where large populations of black people live, are classified as food deserts. Corner stores proliferate and they rarely sell anything healthy. It can be difficult to find healthy food, when there just isn't any in your neighborhood and you have to transfer ( by bus) 3 times to get to a real supermarket and do the reverse to get home.

Poor nutrition leads to a domino effect on health in the black community. When you eat unhealthy food, your body continues to crave more in an attempt to get proper nutrition. The overeating causes weight gain, but the body is still malnourished. Diabetes, blindness and kidney disease are incredibly common in the community, but there may be other genetic factors. 

*Intellect has very little to do with health, though education about health-related topics does have a profound impact on the outcome. 
*
Access to healthy food and medical treatment to ward off life threatening illnesses are the keys. Today, there are still disparities in the quality of health care given to people of different ethnic backgrounds. Some of the medical disparities are based upon economics while others are based upon perception. Studies have shown that doctors opt not to provide pain medication to black patients, when a similar white patient is routinely given meds for the same diagnosis.

http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0048546


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## Darren

Darntootin said:


> If you notice, the worst states are the ones that tend toward higher obesity and a high population of African Americans. In almost all statistics, blacks simply get lower life expectancy averages. Could be that delicious but lard ridden soul food, life style ( drug, alcohol, tobacco use ), or just plain bad luck.
> 
> It is also true that wealthier people tend to live longer, access to health care might be a small part of it but they also tend to be thinner, exercise more, dont smoke as much, and are more likely to take proactive steps to improve their health or seek treatment earlier for an ailment. Many of these behaviors suggest to me that their higher expectancies might be a result of being smarter and that the increased wealth might be a consequence of intellect rather than the cause of healthier outcomes.


WV does not have a high percentage of Afrcan Americans (less than 4%) but it's still in the lowest five. What I've noticed is the large numbers of women that still smoke.

Something else to note about WV is that there is no emission testing required for vehicles due to the air quality.


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## Sawmill Jim

TheMartianChick said:


> Nutrition plays a huge role, as does access to healthy food.
> Many of the traditional foods consumed by African Americans (aka soul food) is steeped in a tradition of poverty. Slaves ate lesser cuts of meat because that is what they were allowed to have. They learned to do whatever it took to make them tasty. When slavery ended, they were still poor and continued to eat the same foods.
> 
> Many areas where large populations of black people live, are classified as food deserts. Corner stores proliferate and they rarely sell anything healthy. It can be difficult to find healthy food, when there just isn't any in your neighborhood and you have to transfer ( by bus) 3 times to get to a real supermarket and do the reverse to get home.
> 
> Poor nutrition leads to a domino effect on health in the black community. When you eat unhealthy food, your body continues to crave more in an attempt to get proper nutrition. The overeating causes weight gain, but the body is still malnourished. Diabetes, blindness and kidney disease are incredibly common in the community, but there may be other genetic factors.
> 
> *Intellect has very little to do with health, though education about health-related topics does have a profound impact on the outcome.
> *
> Access to healthy food and medical treatment to ward off life threatening illnesses are the keys. Today, there are still disparities in the quality of health care given to people of different ethnic backgrounds. Some of the medical disparities are based upon economics while others are based upon perception. Studies have shown that doctors opt not to provide pain medication to black patients, when a similar white patient is routinely given meds for the same diagnosis.
> 
> You may be on to something in the north but most all country folks here in the South still like and eat the same as we always did ,lots of seasoning ,yep grease, salt all the good stuff. I'v ate some that Yankee cooking and I'll take my chances on dying sooner :hobbyhors
> 
> Last good restaurant around had a black cook, my could that lady cook and everyone hunted her up and told her so .Cooked just like my granny did too .:bow: Wow for the days before no salt ,no lard ,no flavor


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## TheMartianChick

Sawmill Jim said:


> TheMartianChick said:
> 
> 
> 
> Nutrition plays a huge role, as does access to healthy food.
> Many of the traditional foods consumed by African Americans (aka soul food) is steeped in a tradition of poverty. Slaves ate lesser cuts of meat because that is what they were allowed to have. They learned to do whatever it took to make them tasty. When slavery ended, they were still poor and continued to eat the same foods.
> 
> Many areas where large populations of black people live, are classified as food deserts. Corner stores proliferate and they rarely sell anything healthy. It can be difficult to find healthy food, when there just isn't any in your neighborhood and you have to transfer ( by bus) 3 times to get to a real supermarket and do the reverse to get home.
> 
> Poor nutrition leads to a domino effect on health in the black community. When you eat unhealthy food, your body continues to crave more in an attempt to get proper nutrition. The overeating causes weight gain, but the body is still malnourished. Diabetes, blindness and kidney disease are incredibly common in the community, but there may be other genetic factors.
> 
> *Intellect has very little to do with health, though education about health-related topics does have a profound impact on the outcome.
> *
> Access to healthy food and medical treatment to ward off life threatening illnesses are the keys. Today, there are still disparities in the quality of health care given to people of different ethnic backgrounds. Some of the medical disparities are based upon economics while others are based upon perception. Studies have shown that doctors opt not to provide pain medication to black patients, when a similar white patient is routinely given meds for the same diagnosis.
> 
> You may be on to something in the north but most all country folks here in the South still like and eat the same as we always did ,lots of seasoning ,yep grease, salt all the good stuff. I'v ate some that Yankee cooking and I'll take my chances on dying sooner :hobbyhors
> 
> Last good restaurant around had a black cook, my could that lady cook and everyone hunted her up and told her so .Cooked just like my granny did too .:bow: Wow for the days before no salt ,no lard ,no flavor
> 
> 
> 
> My husband loves southern cooking, too! His mom was southern and cooked all kinds of soul food.I'm not sure what would actually constitute Yankee cooking. Around here, everyone seems to eat foods from many different places. Area restaurants include just about every style of cooking that there is. I'm an eclectic cook and a foodie, so I like to use a lot of unusual ingredients and spices.
> 
> My only rule is that I don't cook foods that I don't eat. One exception to that rule is collard greens. I don't like them, but I will cook them for my husband. There is never any lard in my cooking because we don't eat pork. I have been known to use quite a bit of butter in my baking, though!
Click to expand...


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## newcolorado

I am 83 now . Retired at 72 from full time job. Next 3 years I did a half acre market garden. Now do not do much of anything. little cooking and sewing quilts. 
Mom lived to 86. Brother and sisters, 63, 56, and 72. So out lived them.


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## Harry Chickpea

People in Conn and Mass don't really live longer than those in Alabama for a number of reasons:

First, with all the taxation and laws up there it just _feels_ to them like they are living longer.

Second, the cold and snow preserve them until they get moldy, just like the stuff in the back of the fridge hangs around longer than a tasty pie in a pie safe

Third, they have a quota of irritating old rich people that they have to maintain to keep New Yorkers from invading.

Fourth, Nascar and football shorten the lives of young southerners.


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## Blueridgeviews

Anyone have a clue how Minnesota made number 2 ???
What are they doing right up there?


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