2 killer, blamed for about 600,000 deaths a year, so even slight changes in the cancer death rate can have a big impact on overall life expectancy. Also striking was the drop in drug overdose deaths that had skyrocketed through 2017. Preliminary data for the first half of 2019 suggest the overall decline in overdose deaths is already slowing down. In Ohio’s Hamilton County, home to Cincinnati, overdose deaths fell in 2018 and preliminary data indicate another drop last year. That report also found U.S. life expectancy is two years lower that the average for the 10 other wealthy nations.

Source: Los Angeles Times January 30, 2020 06:33 UTC