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CNN Live Today
Reeling in the Years
Aired January 17, 2003 - 11:33 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Apparently a lot of the preaching about smoking, cholesterol, and fat grams seems to be paying off. According to a new study on behalf of the insurance industry, Americans are actually living longer, healthier lives than ever before, and CNN medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is here to explain all the great numbers.
It is good news.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It's definitely good news, and it's sort of surprising, because Americans are so anxious about their health, anxious about what they're supposed to eat, anxious about West Nile, anxious about bioterrorism, so this is news that was compiled by a group of actuaries that looked at the National Center for Health Statistics numbers, and what they found is that people are living longer and living healthier than before.
Let's take a look at life expectancies. The average life expectancy in 2000 was 74 for men and 80 for women. You know, women always get to live longer. In 2075, it's projected to be 81 for men and 85 for women. That's a pretty big jump in 75 years.
Why are people living longer? It's because we have better treatments than ever before.
For example, take a look at heart disease. From 1989 to 1999, deaths from heart disease down 24 percent. That is a big dip in just 10 years. Now let's take a look at cancer, lung, colon, prostate and breast cancers death rates going down. So some good news, doctors are getting smarter, learning how to prevent diseases earlier, and so we're living longer.
WHITFIELD: Which is really surprising, because it seems as though we're talking a lot more about these ailments claiming people lives, but in fact, the numbers are going down. Why is that?
COHEN: The numbers are going down because doctors are getting better at preventing it, screening and treating. What's interesting is that they're not going down because we're living any better. In fact, we're living worse in many ways. Americans are fatter than ever before. So, basically, Americans are getting fatter, and doctors are keeping up by coming up with some good treatments.
When you look at obesity rates for people 50 and older, they've gone up 85 percent from 1982 to 1999. So in just that period of time, obesity rates for older people went up 85 percent. That is huge. So the question is, how much longer can we rely on researchers to come up with drugs to treat us when we keep getting fatter and fatter.
WHITFIELD: While all these improvements taking place, are we actually living healthier lives, too? While we're living longer, are we living healthier?
COHEN: Right, some people might wonder, well, gee, OK, so you're living longer, so you get to live to 85, but are you spending those last 10 years in a nursing home, and the answer is no, that people are living longer, and they're abled lives, if you will; they're not living disabled lives, not until the very, very end of their lives.
WHITFIELD: All right, it helps in addition to better medicine, better buildings, better vehicles, all that stuff.
COHEN: Better cars, absolutely.
WHITFIELD: Thanks for coming.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired January 17, 2003 - 11:33 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Apparently a lot of the preaching about smoking, cholesterol, and fat grams seems to be paying off. According to a new study on behalf of the insurance industry, Americans are actually living longer, healthier lives than ever before, and CNN medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is here to explain all the great numbers.
It is good news.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It's definitely good news, and it's sort of surprising, because Americans are so anxious about their health, anxious about what they're supposed to eat, anxious about West Nile, anxious about bioterrorism, so this is news that was compiled by a group of actuaries that looked at the National Center for Health Statistics numbers, and what they found is that people are living longer and living healthier than before.
Let's take a look at life expectancies. The average life expectancy in 2000 was 74 for men and 80 for women. You know, women always get to live longer. In 2075, it's projected to be 81 for men and 85 for women. That's a pretty big jump in 75 years.
Why are people living longer? It's because we have better treatments than ever before.
For example, take a look at heart disease. From 1989 to 1999, deaths from heart disease down 24 percent. That is a big dip in just 10 years. Now let's take a look at cancer, lung, colon, prostate and breast cancers death rates going down. So some good news, doctors are getting smarter, learning how to prevent diseases earlier, and so we're living longer.
WHITFIELD: Which is really surprising, because it seems as though we're talking a lot more about these ailments claiming people lives, but in fact, the numbers are going down. Why is that?
COHEN: The numbers are going down because doctors are getting better at preventing it, screening and treating. What's interesting is that they're not going down because we're living any better. In fact, we're living worse in many ways. Americans are fatter than ever before. So, basically, Americans are getting fatter, and doctors are keeping up by coming up with some good treatments.
When you look at obesity rates for people 50 and older, they've gone up 85 percent from 1982 to 1999. So in just that period of time, obesity rates for older people went up 85 percent. That is huge. So the question is, how much longer can we rely on researchers to come up with drugs to treat us when we keep getting fatter and fatter.
WHITFIELD: While all these improvements taking place, are we actually living healthier lives, too? While we're living longer, are we living healthier?
COHEN: Right, some people might wonder, well, gee, OK, so you're living longer, so you get to live to 85, but are you spending those last 10 years in a nursing home, and the answer is no, that people are living longer, and they're abled lives, if you will; they're not living disabled lives, not until the very, very end of their lives.
WHITFIELD: All right, it helps in addition to better medicine, better buildings, better vehicles, all that stuff.
COHEN: Better cars, absolutely.
WHITFIELD: Thanks for coming.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
