U. S. NEWS HEALTH: …50th on the CIA’s life expectancy list. According to the World Factbook, these 10 nations seem to have discovered the secret to longevity — no magical spring water required….
#1: Average life expectancy: 89.68 years
Residents of Monaco live, on average, 5.25 years longer than the second longest-living nation, Macau; that’s approximately a decade longer than the average American. Monaco shares several aspects with other long-living nations, including an abundance of wealth and state-funded healthcare. Monaco residents also live on a Mediterranean diet, which is associated with a reduced risk for a variety of health problems, including cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure. But many say it’s Monaco’s relaxing atmosphere that keeps residents hanging on until a ripe old age. Its location along the Mediterranean Sea and clean environment do their part to reduce stress, which can lower immunity and contribute to cardiovascular diseases. Maybe Ponce de León should have stayed closer to home in his search for the Fountain of Youth… (more)
EDITOR: Note the “state funded health care.” An outgrowth of a way to circumvent wage price controls during the Second World War, out largely job funded health care system is an anomaly. Substituting a value added tax and adopting a single payer system (Medicare for everyone a possibility) would eliminate at least a third of the cost and produce far better public health results.
