More middle-aged Americans, particularly those with less education, have been dying of drug overdose, alcohol use, and suicide—what some researchers term “deaths of despair,” according to a study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Leah Abrams, PhD, MPH, and colleagues found that American life expectancy has been stagnant for more than a decade, with much of the blame placed on deaths of despair. However, another trend has taken shape at the same time: stalled progress against cardiovascular disease—including heart attacks and stroke—may have provided a greater impact to US life expectancy since 2010. “We found a slowing decline in [heart-related death rates] that outweighed the increase in drug-related deaths,” Dr. Abrams said. She and other experts point to factors that include a rise in disease risk factors like obesity and physical inactivity; problems accessing healthy, affordable food and stable housing; social isolation and loneliness among Americans in general and older adults in particular; and a fraying social safety net for seniors.
