Toxic Stress Load Is the Biggest Barrier to Living Longer. Here ’ s How to Reduce It

Each person has a powerful combination of characteristics that influence their chances of living a long life. A 2019 study by the City Health Dashboard analyzed the data from the 500 largest cities in the U.S. provides a case in point: a baby born in the Streeterville community of Chicago, in 2015, could live to be 90 years old, while the life expectancy of another baby born just eight miles away, in the Englewood neighborhood, was 60 years. In the Englewood neighborhood, where the life expectancy was 30 years less, 97% of the population is Black and 47% live below the poverty line. Meanwhile in Streeterville, where the residents were living longer, 78% of the residents are white or Asian, with a high income. The same study showed that in 55 other cities—including New York, San Francisco, and Washington D.C.—some people could also expect to live up to 30 years less than their neighbors. At the time, this difference was the same as for people living in Monaco and the Central African Republic, the countries with the longest and shortest life expectancy in the world. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] What was behind these stark differences? One larger factor is something we like to call the Toxic Stress Load (TSL). And it’s been hiding in plain sight for decades. The TSL is the term that describes the build up of negative physical and psychological changes that result from your ongoing need to respond to challenges. It is the baggage, the scars, and ...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized health royals Source Type: news