In California, Americans may be aging more slowly than they were two decades ago. “This is the first evidence we have of delayed ‘aging’ among a national sample of Americans,” said senior author Eileen M. Crimmins, University Professor and AARP Professor of Gerontology at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology.
A new study by University of Southern California and Yale University researchers examined how biological age, relative to chronological age, changed in the U.S. while considering the contributions of health behaviors. Results suggest that at least part of the gains in life expectancy over recent decades may be due to a change in the rate of biological aging, rather than simply keeping ailing people alive.
Slowing the pace of aging, along with increasing life expectancy, has important social and economic implications. The study suggests that modifying health behaviors and using prescription medications does have significant impact on population health.