tobyh5 wrote:Generally speaking, we remain physically more able for longer now. Times and if you look at the average age of death over the last 100 years, you will see a huge change.
1911-1920 - 51.5
1960 - 71.13
increased to 73.68 in 1980
2000 - 77.74
2014 - 81.06
Modern medicine accounts for most of the increase but also modern living and sanitation, lifestyle, nutrition, basic knowledge of how to live (smoking kills duh! and a diet of junk, chocolate and obesity ain't good) etc etc.
Personally, as someone who boxed in their teens, 20's and 30's and swapped to bodybuilding in 30's and now in early 40's, I am in my best shape ever today. Stronger, quicker, lighter, more muscle mass, more energetic than ever before. I used to run for boxing and be struggling to be 8:30 minute mile pace. Now I can crank them out at 6:35
No offence but I think you have misread the data. Not got the stats to hand but I don't think the average age we live to as adults (if we compare similar demographics over time) has changed that much.
Those life expectancy figures take into account infant mortality rates (and, I would guess, a bloody Great War). So whilst medicine, treatment, sanitation, housing and nutrition has improved tremendously the real impact of this is in a massive decrease in infants and young children dying, which used to be commonplace.
By including infant mortality it decreases the average lifespan significantly. If these figures were removed the small increases over the decades would be more of less negated.