Study Finds Older Adults Today Are Healthier Than Previous Generations

Research shows significant improvements in physical and mental functioning among older adults, with factors like education, nutrition, and medical advances playing key roles.

• A study using data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing found that older adults today exhibit better physical and mental functioning than previous generations at the same age.
• For example, a 68-year-old born in 1950 has similar functional capacity to a 62-year-old born a decade earlier, with even larger improvements when comparing earlier generations.
• Key factors contributing to these trends include advancements in education, nutrition, sanitation, and medical care, such as joint replacements, cancer treatments, and better chronic disease management.
• Researchers caution that these trends may not continue, as rising obesity rates and socioeconomic disparities could reverse progress in healthy ageing.
• The findings, published in the journal Nature Aging, highlight the modifiability of intrinsic capacities and offer a hopeful outlook for enhancing health expectancy alongside life expectancy.

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