Americans Are Dying Younger

In utter defiance of historical trends, people are dying younger and younger in America. But what’s especially troubling is how these people are dying, a new report released this week found.

Life expectancy for Americans overall has dropped the last three years data is available, starting in 2014. Today, an average American can expect to live 78.6 years, down from 78.9 years in 2014.

That reversed a longtime trend of rising life expectancy. Between 1959 and 2016, the average American lifespan shot up from 69.9 years to 78.9 years.

The engine that powers the world’s most potent economy is dying at a worrisome pace, a “distinctly American phenomenon’’ with no easily discernible cause or simple solution.

Those are some of the conclusions from a comprehensive new study by researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University showing that mortality rates for U.S. adults ages 25-64 continue to increase, driving down the general population’s life expectancy for at least three consecutive years.