Being rich adds up to nine years to life expectancy

According to a study published this Tuesday, 14, in the scientific journal Journal of Gerontology , being rich adds nine years to a person's life expectancy. The research lasted ten years and was carried out in the United Kingdom and the United States. The leaders of the work are from the English University College London.

Over the investigated decade, data were collected from nearly 25,000 adults aged 50 and over. The scientists' initial intention was to ascertain how long individuals would live without any type of disability brought on by age and to what extent socioeconomic factors could influence health.

Participants were divided into groups according to monthly income. After the division, the researchers began to compare the health indicators of the richest groups with those of the poorest.

According to the study, the richest men in the United States and the United Kingdom live to be approximately 81 years old, while their less well-heeled counterparts go up to something like 72 or 73. As for women, the wealthiest men reach 83, but the least children die, on average, before the age of 75.

The main conclusion of the article, according to the researchers in charge, was that the longevity of older people depends a lot on quality of life. Thus, because they have more ways of making their daily lives comfortable and safe, the fortunate ones tend to live much longer than the poorest part of the population.