Is 50 the new 80?
Advancements in human technology have resulted in medical inventions which cure, treat, or control many conditions which would have shortened the life of a person 50 – 100 years ago. Diseases such as polio,diphtheria, measles, and the mumps have been controlled with widespread vaccination. Vaccines themselves become widely used only in the last 100 years.
At the same time, urgent care techniques have resulted in more lives being saved in critical injury situations. Modern 
emergency rooms save the lives of millions of people injured in severe accidents, many of whom would have died without the drugs and procedures in place today.
However, will we reach a point where the “advancements” of modern society take more lives than it saves? The life expectancy in the modern world has increased dramatically in the past century. During the 20th century, the average lifespan in the United States increased by more than 30 years; 25 years of which can be attributed to advances in public health. During the classical Greek and Roman periods, the life expectancy was 30 years. Medieval England had the same expected life span. Even in the early 20th Century, the life expectancy was only 40 years.
In todays modern societies, life expectancy is 77.5 years. This is a tremendous increase in lifespan. At the same time, many factors of modern society are working against the advances in science and medicine.
A few notable deaths this week show examples of how this happens. Venerable pitch man Billy Mays died today of apparent heart disease. Less-known but similar is the death today of Michael Martin, famous 70′s graffiti artist. Both died at age 50. Heart disease is most commonly caused a fat-rich diet and high stress lifestyle, and a deficiency of exercise. These are all made more common by the luxuries of modern society.
This week, Micheal Jackson also died at age 50. The cause of death is still not official, but certainly the pressure of his troubled life, combined with prescription drug use, and lifestyle are likely factors. All of these would not have threatened his life if he lived 100 years ago. He may have died of polio, but these modern threats did not exist then.
Last year performer Bernie Mac died of sarcoidosis, again at age 50. The current theory of the cause of this disease is 
that it is caused through alteration in immune response after exposure to an environmental, occupational, or infectious agent. Last year, Tim Russert died at 58 from heart disease.
These are just a few examples of famous people from a recent period. Many hundreds of thousands less known, normal people have died from ailments made possible due to modern life.
The bottom line is that while we enjoy the life-extending benefits of modern medicine, we should also be aware of the factors of modern life which are dangers and threats to a long life.
Advice to “eat well and exercise” has become almost cliche, to the point where it is almost easy to ignore. At age 50, most Americans can look forward to 3 decades of fulfilling life experience. Instead of being at risk of self-induced death at this age, take a quote from Billy Mays, and say “Wait, there’s more….” to death.
