Adult death rates lowest in Iceland, Cyprus

Consider this one a "teachable moment." The lesson to follow.

Men in Iceland and women in Cyprus have the lowest risk of dying worldwide, a new study says.

In a survey from 1970 to 2010, researchers found a widening gap between countries with the highest and lowest premature death rates in adults aged 15 to 60. The study was published Friday in the medical journal, Lancet...

"The new analysis challenges the common theories," wrote Ai Koyanagi and Kenji Shibuya of the department of global health policy at the University of Tokyo, in an accompanying commentary. They were not linked to the study. Koyanagi and Shibuya said it wasn't clear why there were such major differences among countries in adult deaths.

Researchers in Australia and the U.S. calculated death rates in 187 countries using records from government registries, censuses, household surveys and other sources. It was paid for by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Only a few countries have cut death rates by more than 2 percent per year in the last 40 years: Australia, Italy, South Korea, Chile, Tunisia and Algeria. The U.S. lagged significantly behind, dropping to 49th in the rankings for women and 45th for men. That puts it behind all of Western Europe as well as countries including Peru, Chile and Libya.

"The U.S. is definitely on the wrong trajectory," said Chris Murray, director of the Institute for Health Metrics at the University of Washington, one of the study's authors. "(The US) spends the most on health out of all countries, but (it) is apparently spending on the wrong things."

Murray said they weren't sure why some countries — like Australia and South Korea — were particularly successful in reducing death rates, but guessed better policies on things like tobacco control and road accidents might be responsible.

The fact appears to be that "healthy foods" are not the issue.

Consider the following:

In Iceland, the per capita consumption of vegetables is about 125 kg or about 275 pounds.

In the USA it is about 432 pounds.

The annual per capita supply of fruit in Iceland is 114 kg or about 251 pounds.

In the USA, the annual per capita consumption of fruits is about 339 pounds.

In total, the USA per capita consumption of fruits and vegetables is about 770 pounds.

Granted, there are some differences in the data supplied.

However, there is a reasonable comparison to infer and that is that in Iceland, where the adult death rates are lowest (apparently), the consumption of fruits and vegetables is much less per capita than in the USA.

Even though death rate is a debatable statistic to use, many people consider it valuable.

That said, if death rate is important, then one should arguably look beyond specific foods for answers.

The data seem quite clear that overweight/obesity, more than a particular food, are connected to death and illness.

To improve health and cut the likelihood of death at a given age, achieving a BMI of between 18.5 and 24.9 appears to be the first and best goal.

That is possible and likely more probable to achieve by eschewing non-existent "healthy foods" and eating less of what you regularly eat.

If you want to change the foods you consume, okay. But that is not a necessity for achieving the goal.

And following the idiocy of the First Fatty leads in the absolute wrong direction for the kids.

Role model:







Role modelette, Michellesie "The First Fatty" Obama: