Obesity shortens Americans' life expectancy

 　　LOS ANGELES, July 28 (Xinhua) -- Mainly due to rampant¹ obesity², Americans' life expectancy³ is one-and-a-half-year shorter than that of Western Europeans on the average, according to a new study published on Thursday.

　　But 40 years ago, Americans could expect to live slightly longer than Europeans, said the study jointly⁴ conducted by researchers from University of Southern California (USC), the Harvard School of Public Health and the RAND Corp., a non-profit think tank.

　　In addition to Western Europeans, Americans also die younger than the residents of most other developed nations, according to the study appearing in the July issue of Social Science & Medicine.

　　The life-expectancy disparity, which begins around the age of 50, stems from higher levels of middle-age obesity and obesity-related chronic⁵ diseases, such as hypertension and diabetes⁶, said the study.

　　In the first half of the last century, average life expectancy increased by saving more babies, said author Dana Goldman, director of the Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics at the USC.

　　"But now it is reduction in mortality among the elderly, rather than the young, that propels increases in life expectancy," he said. "The question is whether 'being American' is an independent mortality risk factor."

　　If 50-year-old U.S. adults could be as healthy as Europeans, it could save Medicare and Medicaid 632 billion dollars by 2050, the study said.

　　Though the transition to better health initially⁷ raises expenditures⁸, the researchers estimate that by 2050 healthcare savings⁹ from health improvements among the middle age could total more than 1.1 trillion dollars.

　　"The international life expectancy gap appears much easier to explain than gaps within countries: there is no American-specific effect on longevity¹⁰ beyond differences in disease at age 50," said Darius Lakdawalla, an associate professor in the USC School of Policy, Planning and Development.

1 rampant   

adj.(植物)蔓生的；狂暴的，无约束的

参考例句：

• Sickness was rampant in the area.该地区疾病蔓延。
• You cannot allow children to rampant through the museum.你不能任由小孩子在博物馆里乱跑。

2 obesity   

n.肥胖，肥大

参考例句：

• One effect of overeating may be obesity.吃得过多能导致肥胖。
• Sugar and fat can more easily lead to obesity than some other foods.糖和脂肪比其他食物更容易导致肥胖。

3 expectancy   

n.期望，预期，（根据概率统计求得）预期数额

参考例句：

• Japanese people have a very high life expectancy.日本人的平均寿命非常长。
• The atomosphere of tense expectancy sobered everyone.这种期望的紧张气氛使每个人变得严肃起来。

4 jointly   

ad.联合地，共同地

参考例句：

• Tenants are jointly and severally liable for payment of the rent. 租金由承租人共同且分别承担。
• She owns the house jointly with her husband. 她和丈夫共同拥有这所房子。

5 chronic   

adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的

参考例句：

• Famine differs from chronic malnutrition.饥荒不同于慢性营养不良。
• Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition.慢性中毒也可能由虚弱导致死亡。

6 diabetes   

n.糖尿病

参考例句：

• In case of diabetes, physicians advise against the use of sugar.对于糖尿病患者，医生告诫他们不要吃糖。
• Diabetes is caused by a fault in the insulin production of the body.糖尿病是由体內胰岛素分泌失调引起的。

7 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

8 expenditures   

n.花费( expenditure的名词复数 )；使用；（尤指金钱的）支出额；（精力、时间、材料等的）耗费

参考例句：

• We have overspent.We'll have to let up our expenditures next month. 我们已经超支了，下个月一定得节约开支。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The pension includes an allowance of fifty pounds for traffic expenditures. 年金中包括50镑交通费补贴。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

10 longevity   

n.长命；长寿

参考例句：

• Good habits promote longevity.良好的习惯能增长寿命。
• Human longevity runs in families.人类的长寿具有家族遗传性。