The benefits and the costs of living longer (2000 р.с.)

In the Bible some olds are mentioned but the person with the longest documented life in mod ern times reached 122.

Economic historians have estimated that life expectancy during the first millennium AD averaged about 25 years (which in practice meant that lots of children died very young and many of the rest survived to middle age). The big turnaround came with the industrial revolution, mainly be cause many more children survived into adulthood, thanks to better sanitation, more control over epidemics, improved nutrition and higher living standards.

By the beginning of the 20th century average life expectancy in America and the rich of Europe was close to 50, and kept on rising, by mid-century lower child mortality.

The extra years were coming from higher survival rates among older people. The economists think that life expectancy at birth worldwide will go up from 68 years at present to 76 by 2050 and in rich countries from 77 to 83. These are averages for both sexes; women gener ally live five or six years longer than men. Most economic experts now agree that human life span is finite because bodies wear out and that the rate of increase is slow because people now die mostly of chronic diseases. They also point to newer health threats, such as aids, bird flu and swine flu, as well as rising obesity in rich countries — to say nothing of social and po litical unrest and natural disasters.

Some experts now think there may be no theoretical limit pointing to the huge rise in the number of centenari ans in the past few decades. In America they are the fastest-growing section of the population, with an increase from 3,700 in 1940 to over 100,000 now.

Why are people living ever longer? Rob ert Fogel at the University of Chicago, a No bel prize-winner in economics, reckons that improved medical care and technol ogy are only part of the answer. Another part is something he has called «technophysio evolution». Over the past few centuries humans have devel oped physically because they gained unprecedented control over their environment and their living condi­tions. Western people’s average body size has increased by 50% over the past 250 years. Larger body size (but not obesity) is associat ed with better health and longer life. But modern life has its downsides too. Stress is often seen as a life-shortening factor.

Another hazard of affluence is getting fat. Around 10-20% of the adult population in many rich countries, and over 30% in America, are now clinically obese. Overweight people are at greater risk of diseases.

People almost everywhere could ex tend their life spans further just by doing a few things, such as not smoking, drinking only in moderation, eating lots of fruit and vegetables and taking regular ex ercise. Educated folk are better at keeping to such rules, and as a group they live longer than those with only basic schooling. Richer people also live longer than less well-off ones, even in the developed world. Mankind’s dream has been to conquer ageing altogether, and scientists are work ing on it. Spare-part surgery to replace worn-out bits is already well-established and will get better with the use of stem-cell technology.

Notes:

life expectancy — продолжитель- living standard — уровень

ность жизни жизни

millennium — тысячелетие child mortality — детская

overweight — избыточный вес смертность

AD = Anno Domini — нашей эры finite — имеющий предел

unprecedented — беспримерный rate of increase — темп роста

thanks to — благодаря obesity — полнота

well-off — состоятельный to say nothing — не говоря о

nutrition–питание downside — недостаток

affluence — изобилие centenarian — столетний

Дата добавления: 2014-12-29