More Americans are dying young, many of them in what should be the prime of their lives, and it’s a troubling trend that is uniquely American, according to a recent study out of the Center on Society and Health at Virginia Commonwealth University. In 2011, the rate of increase for life expectancy of American adults plateaued. Life expectancy peaked in 2014 at 78.9 years, and then dropped for the next three years, falling to 78.6 years in 2017.
Researchers point to a significant increase in deaths among people aged 25 to 64 to explain the change, but it’s a complicated phenomenon rooted in more than just physical health or medical industry trends. This change was due, in large part, to an increase in deaths among young and middle-aged adults.
Mortality from drug overdoses, suicide and alcoholic liver disease are major factors in the lowering life expectancy, signaling that the issue is tied to socioeconomic factors. Drug epidemics have also played a significant role in lowering American life expectancy because of the sheer number of fatal drug overdoses that increased exponentially from the 1970s onward.
