A study by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation in Seattle, released last week, predicted people in Spain will have an average lifespan of 85.8 year by 2040.
In the years to come, the biggest threats to our health and longevity will be obesity, high blood pressure and blood sugar, tobacco use and drinking alcohol, according to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation in Seattle, US, which has produced the forecasts.
The people of Spain apparently live longer because of their Mediterranean diet, along with a lifestyle that puts life’s emphasis on family and friends, gets credit for that longer lifespan.
The Mediterranean country has overtaken Japan in the top spot for the first time in many years, according to the new study. Japanese people are expected to have an average lifespan of 85.7 years.
Singapore was in third place with an average life expectancy of 85.4 years followed by Switzerland with 85.2 years and Portugal with 84.5 years.
Italy came in sixth place with 84.5 years, Israel with 84.4 years and France with 84.3 years.
Luxembourg and Australia completed the top ten with average life expectancy forecast of 84.1 years each.
Fruits and vegetables are the major ingredient in diets in Spain. The country has a free healthcare system, which likely helps people live longer than in other countries. The single-payer system, ranked by the World Health Organization as seventh-best in the world, offers universal coverage as a constitutionally guaranteed right and comes no out-of-pocket expenses aside from prescription drugs.
Food is also generally unprocessed, and processed foods typically expensive.
Another, often-overlooked factor is the weather, it’s glorious all year round so you get lots of fresh air and do more things outside.
