According to the Living to 100 Life Expectancy Calculator (http://calculator.livingto100.com/calculator) my approximate expiration is at 87 years. I think, as of right now, this is an accurate estimate, although I was expecting low eighties.
However, these calculators are only useful assuming a static timeline, as in nothing is changing. It's likely that when I turn 21 I will have a few drinks a week, as opposed to now where I have none. It also doesn't predict future technologies which may increase my lifespan.
I thought that all of the questions were pretty fair, except the ones that can change drastically over time (drinking and dietary habits). I expected I will live until sometime in my eighties, so the calculator wasn't too big a surprise; unless Aubrey de Gray has his way and I live until my late four hundreds.
As for alcohol shortening life expectancy, which is what I assume this calculator took into effect, I have this study to show it. It's summed up nicely in this WebMD article.
http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/news/20100824/moderate-drinking-may-prolong-life
Essentially people who drank a moderate amount of alcohol (a serving or two a day) have a greater life expectancy than those who drink heavily OR those who abstain entirely.
Here is the meta-analysis being referred to:
http://www.acsh.org/docLib/20040401_Moderate_Alcohol1993.pdf
Your comment about drinking and life expectancy is interesting. I read an article saying that one glass of red wine a night is "healthy" and may increase life expectancy. I think we've all heard this one. Well recently, there was an article stating that the glass of wine is not what is increasing lifespan. Rather, it is the lifestyle that one leads that provides for a glass of wine at dinner every night. For example, one probably has a fairly good socioeconomic status to share a bottle of wine at night, they are generally around friends and laughing while drinking, so their social status is good... The article basically says that there's a lot more to the increased lifespan than just the glass of wine. There are external factors.
ReplyDeleteVery true! Though the study did control for a lot of factors, those would be tricky to flush out. Maybe I'll take the life expectancy test again and claim to be a raging alcoholic.
ReplyDeleteInteresting, Riley- thanks for posting your thoughts. I agree- this is just a static assessment- it could be better OR worse on any given day.
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