Life Expectancy News and Research

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Life expectancy is the expected (in the statistical sense) number of years of life remaining at a given age. It is denoted by e''x'', which means the average number of subsequent years of life for someone now aged ''x'', according to a particular mortality experience.

ARPA-H-funded PROSPR program focuses on the biological hallmarks of aging

Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health has received an award as part of the PROactive Solutions for Prolonging Resilience (PROSPR) program within the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) to accelerate research on the biological hallmarks of aging.

24 Feb 2026

Child stunting: Historical evidence confirms global eradication is possible

New research led by LSE reveals that high‑income countries once suffered severe child stunting comparable to rates seen in many low‑ and middle‑income countries today, offering powerful evidence that child stunting can be eliminated globally.

24 Feb 2026

Brain injury protein in the blood could help estimate biological age in animals

The protein "neurofilament light chain" (NfL) – studied in humans in the context of neurodegenerative diseases and aging – is also detectable in the blood of numerous animals, and NfL levels increase with age in mice, cats, dogs, and horses.

20 Feb 2026

Cornell study finds existing drug could boost liver cancer immunotherapy

Immunotherapy – which activates the body's own immune system to kill cancer cells – has not worked well against a rare and fatal liver cancer, but a new Cornell University study finds an existing FDA-approved drug may allow the immunotherapy to fight the cancer as intended, opening the door to a potential treatment.

17 Feb 2026

Post-exercise milk helps protect bone density in adults over 60

The study highlights the role of milk and resistance training in improving bone health and physical performance among older adults through nutrition education.

17 Feb 2026

Healthy diets link to longer life regardless of longevity genes, large study finds

Adherence to five established healthy dietary patterns was associated with lower mortality and modestly longer life expectancy in a large UK cohort. These associations were largely independent of genetic predisposition to longevity, suggesting diet quality may influence lifespan regardless of inherited risk.

16 Feb 2026

Air pollution increases physical disability progression in older adults

Long-term air pollution exposure is associated with faster progression of disability in older adults, highlighting critical public health implications.

16 Feb 2026

Study reports life expectancies of spina bifida patients by age, sex, and severity of impairment

Studies have reported on survival probabilities of people born with open spina bifida, a condition where the spinal cord and nerves are exposed through an opening in the back.

11 Feb 2026

Stiff red blood cells drive sickle cell disease severity

A new breakthrough study led by researchers at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities could explain why patients with the same genetic sickle cell mutation experience different levels of pain, organ damage and response to treatment.

10 Feb 2026

Anterior crossbite linked to increased tooth loss risk

Crooked teeth or a misaligned bite can cause a whole host of problems, including speech issues and/or difficulty eating or properly cleaning teeth.

10 Feb 2026

Novel neuroprotective drug improves recovery after acute ischemic stroke

Stroke patients treated intravenously with loberamisal, a novel neuroprotective medication, daily for 10 days and starting within 48 hours of stroke symptoms, had better recovery than patients who received a placebo, according to a preliminary late-breaking science presentation at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2026.

7 Feb 2026

Bioadhesive patches target remaining glioblastoma cells after surgery

Glioblastoma is the most prevalent and aggressive brain tumor. It proliferates very rapidly, is highly invasive, and there is currently no treatment capable of halting its progression or curing it, which means life expectancy after diagnosis is very short.

6 Feb 2026

Simpler hemiarch surgery effective for older aortic dissection patients

Ascending aortic hemiarch reconstruction offers the same long-term benefits to patients over age 65 with acute type A aortic dissection (ATAAD) as more complex extended arch reconstruction procedures, according to a study presented today at the 2026 Society of Thoracic Surgeons Annual Meeting.

1 Feb 2026

Age shapes long-term outcomes after multi-arterial CABG strategies

A late-breaking study drawing on more than 15 years of national outcomes data from the STS Adult Cardiac Surgery Database (ACSD) suggests that the two most commonly used multi-arterial coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) strategies-bilateral internal thoracic artery (BITA) and single internal thoracic artery plus radial artery (SITA+RA)-offer comparable long-term survival overall, with important differences emerging by patient age.

31 Jan 2026

New prognostic model improves survival prediction for spinal metastasis patients

Spinal metastasis, the spread of cancer to the spine, is a frequent complication in advanced cancer. It often causes severe pain and paralysis, significantly impacting quality of life.

27 Jan 2026

Childhood ADHD traits linked to poorer physical health in midlife

People who have ADHD traits at age 10 are more likely than those without such traits to have physical health problems and to report physical health-related disability at age 46, according to a study led by University College London (UCL) and University of Liverpool researchers.

21 Jan 2026

Tracing the decline in American heart disease mortality

Following a five-year upward trend likely impacted by the COVID pandemic, the number of heart disease and stroke deaths has declined, yet, heart disease and stroke still kill more people in the U.S. each year than any other cause, according to data reported in the 2026 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics: A Report of U.S. and Global Data From the American Heart Association.

21 Jan 2026