(USA Today) Americans living longer but not as long as other people

Smoking, a declining habit, and obesity, a burgeoning problem, have cut three to four years off the increasing life expectancy of Americans, an international longevity comparison concludes.

Nationwide, men’s life expectancy at birth jumped about five years and women’s increased about three years from 1980 to 2007.

But the National Research Council report, which came out Tuesday, finds that lung cancer, respiratory illness and heart disease have led to those increases lagging the average increase in 21 other high-income nations.

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