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Local doctor gives thoughts on CDC report that US life expectancy is declining

The CDC recently released new data that showed U.S. life expectancy trending downward for the second year in a row.

BRYAN, Texas — The New Year brings new health concerns for everyone trying to be in their best shape.

However, according to a press release from the CDC this past December, the U.S life expectancy has decreased for the second year in a row. 

Chief Medical Officer at CapRock Health Systems, Dr. Young explained his thoughts on the leading factors of this decline, saying "Across the country we’ve seen over a million excess deaths which is just an astonishingly large number and that alone makes up most of the excess deaths and certainly that’s happened here locally. Another reason for the increase in deaths nationwide is related to drug overdoses which has increased significantly.”  

Dr. Young wants people to know COVID and drug overdoses aren't the only reasons for an overall lower life expectancy. 

"Its very interesting and tragic that we’ve seen a decrease in our average life spans because for years we’ve enjoyed an increase in the average life span," said Young. "But to be fair that’s been plateauing for a while and that’s largely because of our own behaviors. We die of things that are the product of the wealth and the nice lifestyles we enjoy here in the U.S. We tend to be sedentary, we have diets that are rich in simple carbs and processed foods and things we know from science leads to heart disease, stroke and cancer."

However, there are simple ways of increasing one's lifespan, according to Dr. Young. 

"Certainly, mild to moderate exercise a few times a week has been shown to benefit everything from mental health to vascular disease and many cancers and a lot of things in between," explained Young. "So if I was to pick one thing that I think people could do that would help their health across the board most effectively is to be more active."

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