Describe the causes and effects of increased life expectancy in

a country, or countries, that you are familiar with / you want to

research about.

Cause and Effect Essay

Increased of life expectancy

Đào Hữu Kiên-Ha173013

Currently, average life expectancy has increased in most industrialized countries. It has
improved many aspects of social stability and lifestyle, such as health care and diet. In many
nations, those effects have also increased the average life expectancy, which has had the
unintended consequence of increasing the risk of disease, dementia, and other conditions
(Helen L. Walls et al., May 2012. Obesity and trends in life expectancy). Currently, the
Japanese have the highest life expectancy in the world, and it is well-known for their diet,
lifestyle, and increased economic prosperity, However, this also creates some issues, the
increase in life expectancy means that the number of diseases such as dementia and disability
is inevitable and, along with it will push the country into an aging population. In this essay,
we will seek and evaluate the causes and effects of longevity on the development of a
country.

For life expectancy, with the average Japanese citizen living to 85.0 years. The life
expectancy for the average female in Japan is 88.1 years and 81.9 years for males. There has
been a fairly consistent difference in the life expectancy between women and men in Japan.
Currently, women are expected to live around 6.2 years longer than men. Prior to 1990, the
country had not even made the list of the top 100 countries with the highest life expectancies
borgenproject.org.Compared to Canadians, the French, Italians, and Americans, the Japanese
consume much less meat (especially beef), dairy products, sugar and sweeteners, fruits, and
potatoes, but much more fish and seafood, rice, soybeans and tea. Furthermore, increased life
expectancy is the result of improved medical care, a better diet, a healthier lifestyle, and
hygiene. With significant improvements in life such as vaccines, antibiotics, clean water, and
more abundant and nutritious food. Along with that, people also raise awareness, understand
the benefits of exercise, and decide on a wise lifestyle for both our quantity and quality of
life. Moreover, the government's policies have been improved, leading to more sophisticated
health systems that can increase human longevity. This shows that government policies have
fully met the essential needs of everyone.
However, the quality of life for the elderly did not significantly improve along with this
dramatic increase in life expectancy. In general, longer life expectancies have raised the risk
of illness, incapacity, dementia, and advanced aging before death. For instance, 30% of
people over 60 develop dementia before they pass away, and this number is expected to rise
due to the aging of the population and the exponential relationship between dementia
prevalence and age (Johnson, S. et al., December 2007- Disease and Development: The
Effect of Life Expectancy on Economic Growth). People used to pass away young and
relatively quickly, but now degenerative diseases that are preceded by years of multiple
morbidity and advanced ageing are causing an increasing number of people to pass away old
and slowly. The economy and social systems in most nations are under increasing pressure as
a result of this. Current government spending on the elderly accounts for about 25% of GDP
and goes toward social, health, and pension expenses, but this percentage is projected to rise
significantly in the coming years, making economic sustainability difficult.

To sum up, average life expectancy has increased in most industrialized countries, which has
had the unintended consequence of increasing the risk of disease, dementia, and other
conditions. Japanese have the highest life expectancy in the world, and it is due to improved
medical care, a better diet, a healthier lifestyle, and hygiene. However, the quality of life for
the elderly did not significantly improve along with this dramatic increase in life expectancy,
leading to an aging population. People used to pass away young and relatively quickly, but
now degenerative diseases that are preceded by years of multiple morbidity and advanced
ageing are causing an increasing number of people to pass away old and slowly. The
economy and social systems in most nations are under increasing pressure as a result of this.

References:
Helen L. Walls et al., May 2012. Obesity and trends in life expectancy. Retrieved from
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/225087372_Obesity_and_Trends_in_Life_Expecta
ncy

Johnson, S. et al., December 2007- Disease and Development: The Effect of Life Expectancy
on Economic Growth. Retrieved from
https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/529000

Oeppen J, et al., Broken Limits to Life Expectancy. Science. 2002;296:1029–1031. Retrieved

from
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4328740/
Bolorzul, D. January 2021, Life Expectancy In Japan. Retrieved from

https://borgenproject.org/life-expectancy-in-japan/