America’s lifespan has doubled since 1776 — experts reveal what changed

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Americans today live roughly twice as long, on average, as they did when the Declaration of Independence was signed.

When the nation was founded in 1776, life expectancy was around 35 to 40 years old, historians estimate.However, someone who survived childhood in colonial America often lived into their 60s or even 70s.

Today, theaverage lifespan is about79 years old, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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The improvement in lifespan over the centuries has been largely attributed to reduced deaths in infancy and from infectious diseases, multiple researchers have stated.Advances in sanitation, clean water,nutrition, vaccination and medical care have also contributed to lower mortality rates.

“Much of this vast discrepancy is related to the extremely high rates of infant, childhood and maternal mortality,” Dr.

Two senior men perform push-ups outdoors near riverfront.

Americans today live roughly twice as long, on average, as they did when the Declaration of Independence was signed.(Milan Markovic/iStock)

“Childbirth was dangerous, and without antibiotics and vaccines, many infectious diseases, such as measles, smallpox and pneumonia, were deadly,” he went on.“Now we have cleaner water and sanitation, vaccines and antibiotics that have significantly prolonged life.”

Advances in treatments of chronic diseases such ashigh blood pressure, cancer and diabetes have also significantly prolonged life, the Harvard-trained doctor noted.

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According to the CDC, improved prevention and treatment of high blood pressure has helped reduce deaths from heart disease and stroke, two of the nation’s leading causes of death.

Mia Kazanjian, MD, a Stanford-trained body and breast radiologist with aninterest in longevitywho is based in Greenwich, Connecticut, attributes the shorter life expectancy in the 1700s to suboptimal sanitation, poor hygiene and limited medical treatments.

Today, the average lifespan is about 79 years old, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.(iStock)

“Manybabies and children diedfrom infections like dysentery, diphtheria, scarlet fever and pneumonia,�Children who survived into adulthood often succumbed to infections like tuberculosis, cholera and typhoid fever.

Maternal mortality has also fallen dramatically over the past century due to advances in antibiotics, blood transfusions and saferobstetric care, according to the CDC.

Milestones in public health

Kazanjian pointed to several key advancements over the centuries that contributed to longevity improvements, including the development of early municipal water systems that provided cleaner drinking sources.

“Sewer system networks were built, the first in Brooklyn in 1857,” she said.“These allowed people to drink clean water and dispose of waste.Indoor plumbing with toilets and bathrooms became more widespread.”

“Without antibiotics and vaccines, many infectious diseases, such as measles, smallpox and pneumonia, were deadly.”

At this time, people’s understanding of disease started to improve, andpublic health measureswere developed to minimize risk.

During the late 1800s, germ theory became widely accepted in medicine and public health, helping shape the Sanitary Era, the expert said.

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“The Federal Quarantine Act of 1878 allowed the government to preventspread of infectionfrom out of the country, from epidemics like yellow fever,” she said.“Food safety regulations went into effect in 1906, when the Pure Food and Drug Act and Federal Meat Inspection Act were passed.”

By 1900, the average life expectancy was about 49 years old, according to the National Vitals Statistics Report.

Another major landmark in increasing lifespan came with the development of vaccines and antibiotics to prevent and treat disease, Kazanjian noted.

One major landmark in increasing lifespan came with the development of vaccines and antibiotics to prevent and treat disease, experts say.(iStock)

“Jenner developed the smallpox vaccine in 1796, Pasteur created vaccines for rabies and anthrax in the 1880s, and several scientists created vaccines for polio,measles, influenza, mumps and rubella in the mid 1900s,” she said.

“Antibiotics proliferated in the 1940s, specifically penicillin and tetracycline.By 1950, the US life expectancy was about 68 years old.”

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From the mid-20th century to 2014, life expectancy continued to rise, Kazanjian said, largely due to “major gains” in medical knowledge of ways to prevent heart disease and stroke.

Public health campaignspromoting smoking cessationalso played a role, as declining smoking rates helped reduce deaths from lung cancer, heart disease and stroke, according to the CDC.

“Motor vehicles became safer and carseats became staples,” Kazanjian noted.

an elderly woman holds hands with a younger woman

Modern longevity is more focused on preventing chronic disease and less about surviving childhood infections.(iStock)

According to the National Institutes of Health, advances in emergency medical services and trauma care have substantially reduced deaths after serious injuries.

Development of pharmaceuticals forcardiovascular diseaseand cancer also contributed to longer lives, according to Kazanjian.

Today’s longevity challenges

Modern longevity is more focused on preventing chronic disease and less about surviving childhood infections, noted Nneoma Oparaji, MD, a triple board-certified media physician specializing in obesity, lifestyle and internal medicine.

“The next frontier will be less about living longer, but more about living healthier longer,�

Kazanjian pointed out that between 2014 and 2026, there has been a fall and a rise in lifespan.

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“The fall was due to young adult deaths from drug overdoses,particularly the opioid epidemic, suicides and alcohol-related deaths,�

The COVID-19 pandemic reduced U.S.life expectancy by more than two years between 2019 and 2021 before it began recovering, CDC data shows.

Advances in sanitation, clean water, nutrition, vaccination and medical care have contributed to lower mortality rates.(iStock)

Although U.S.life expectancy has rebounded since the pandemic, it remains below that of other high-income countries, largely because of higher death rates from chronic diseases, substance use and other preventable causes, according to KFF.

Obesity rates also continue to climb, contributing to higher numbers of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer, Kazanjian said.