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.

Novel vitamin K analogs show promise for reversing neurodegenerative diseases

Neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Huntington's disease are characterized by the progressive loss of neurons.

13 Sep 2025

Researchers reveal why no level of air pollution is safe for respiratory health

A review in the Journal of Clinical Investigation shows how particulate matter damages the lungs through oxidative stress, inflammation, and immune disruption. It links air pollution to asthma, COPD, lung cancer, infections, and millions of premature deaths, with no safe exposure threshold.

9 Sep 2025

Reconditioned pacemakers show comparable infection rates to new devices

Procedure-related infection rates were similar with reconditioned and new pacemakers, according to late-breaking research presented in a Hot Line session today at ESC Congress 2025.

3 Sep 2025

People live longer worldwide but not necessarily healthier, study finds

Researchers mapped the global healthspan-lifespan gap across 183 countries, showing people live longer but not healthier, with Africa experiencing the fastest widening gap. Distinct disease-burden clusters explain regional differences and highlight the need for region-specific health strategies.

2 Sep 2025

Study provides evidence for a causal genetic link between prostate cancer and urothelial carcinoma

Prostate cancer is among the most common cancers in men and a leading cause of cancer-related deaths. With improved detection and therapies, survival rates have risen, but this progress comes with a new concern: the risk of secondary primary malignancies.

1 Sep 2025

Better education and income reduce anxiety about growing old

Investigating aging anxiety in China, this research links socioeconomic status to mental health, showing how education and income can alleviate fears of aging.

1 Sep 2025

Most autistic adults over 40 in the UK remain undiagnosed

89 to 97 per cent of autistic adults aged 40+ years are undiagnosed in the UK, according to the largest review of its kind which was conducted at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience at King's College London.

29 Aug 2025

Molecular profiling identifies prostate cancer patients who benefit most from chemotherapy

Testing the molecular profile of tumors identifies which patients with advanced prostate cancer are more likely to benefit from chemotherapy and live longer, sparing patients less likely to benefit from unpleasant side effects, according to a new study led by UCL researchers.

28 Aug 2025

Life expectancy gains have slowed for generations born after 1939

A new study co-authored by a University of Wisconsin-Madison professor finds that life expectancy gains made by high-income countries in the first half of the 20th century have slowed significantly, and that none of the generations born after 1939 will reach 100 years of age on average.

28 Aug 2025

Study shows life expectancy slowing across 23 wealthy countries

Researchers forecast that people born between 1939 and 2000 in 23 high-income countries will see slower life expectancy gains than earlier generations. The slowdown stems largely from reduced improvements in childhood survival, with later-life gains unable to offset the decline.

27 Aug 2025

Rethinking chronic disease management in older adults

Effectively managing chronic conditions like diabetes and hypertension can greatly improve quality of life, reduce complications and extend longevity for older adults.

20 Aug 2025

Young adults with bipolar disorder show signs of early heart dysfunction

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of premature deaths in patients with bipolar disorder worldwide.

19 Aug 2025

Texas Children’s successfully treats AADC deficiency using FDA-approved gene therapy

Texas Children's is pleased to announce that a three-year-old girl has been successfully treated with the first-ever FDA-approved gene therapy treatment for AADC deficiency.

19 Aug 2025

New generation of CRISPR shows safer path to treating genetic diseases

A new generation of CRISPR technology developed at UNSW Sydney offers a safer path to treating genetic diseases like Sickle Cell, while also proving beyond doubt that chemical tags on DNA - often thought to be little more than genetic cobwebs - actively silence genes.

17 Aug 2025

Lifestyle interventions key to closing life expectancy gap in mental illness

Mental health services must urgently increase investment in lifestyle interventions to improve care and help close the 15-year life expectancy gap faced by people with mental illness, a new Lancet Psychiatry Commission report warns.

12 Aug 2025

Finnish study reveals why the longest-lived region doesn’t follow Blue Zone rules

Researchers examined four regions in Western Finland to see if any met Blue Zone lifestyle principles and matched high longevity, finding that the most long-lived area, Åland, had top health but low lifestyle adherence, while Swedish-speaking Ostrobothnia showed promising, but unconfirmed potential.

12 Aug 2025

Study identifies risk factors that increase risk of death in children with Fontan circulatory failure

A multi-center study has identified critical risk factors that increase the likelihood of death in children with a heart defect who are awaiting or have recently undergone heart transplantation, according to findings published in Circulation.

11 Aug 2025

Alzheimer’s risk factors look different for men and women

Research on Alzheimer's risk factors shows significant sex differences, with implications for diagnosis and treatment in early-onset and late-onset cases.

6 Aug 2025

Brisk walking for just 15 minutes a day cuts death risk in low-income adults, study shows

Fast walking for as little as 15 minutes per day was linked to a nearly 20% reduction in mortality among predominantly Black and low-income American adults. Slow walking showed minimal benefit, but prolonged slow walking reduced the risk of death from ischemic heart disease.

30 Jul 2025

New RNA therapy reverses symptoms of progeria in mouse models

Children who develop deep wrinkles, stunted growth, and rapidly aging bones and blood vessels as early as 1 to 2 years of age may be suffering from Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome (HGPS), a rare and incurable genetic disorder that affects approximately one in eight million people.

29 Jul 2025