Recently, there has been an increase of research on petroleum-based dyes in the food in America. In many countries, artificial dyes like Red 40 and Blue 1 have been under heavy backlash after discoveries of possible causes in psychological issues in children, along with overall toxicity in general.

Studies claim that these dyes cause hyperactivity, ADHD, obesity and overall changes in behavior. These petroleum-based dyes have no added benefit to the food that is added, and are only added to make food more appealing to children.

The FDA has officially recognized these harmful dyes and are working to ban them from being used in foods in the future.

If America’s average life span is 79 years, is the food we consume the largest reason for our life expectancy compared to other countries?

While in places like Japan, the average lifespan is about 85 years old. It isn’t unknown that there are numerous places outside of America whose population lives longer than those who are in the United States.

Why is that?

There are more possible explanations for such a big difference between the two average lifespans. 

Places like Okinawa (Japan), Sardinia (Italy), Nicoya (Costa Rica), Ikaria (Greece), and Loma Linda (California) are all blue zones where people live much longer lives than other countries.

One of the first things that may come to mind is that their diet is likely a key factor in the equation. 

In places such as Europe, there are stricter restrictions on food safety regulations, including lower levels of conservatives and additives and the use of higher-quality ingredients. In theory, this could possibly serve to lengthen the life of a person who consumes fewer foods, or who consume whole foods with no additives.

In places like Blue Zones, regions where people live exceptionally long lives, it is apparent that places like these do something different.

However, many argue that the longer lifespan has less to do with the foods they are eating and more to do with the environments and climates they live in. For example, where the climate is extremely cold, like Russia, they only have a life expectancy of 73.25-73.5 years overall. 

To see what others believe to be the real reason why other places have naturally higher life expectancies, questions have been asked of people from many walks of life to see what they think about the quality of life.

“I honestly think the quality of life in America has gone downhill and, yeah, it’s really lacking compared to other countries out there,” a student from Lockport Township High School spoke about the differences between other countries and what they believed would be the most impactful.

 “I think it definitely has to be the food here.” They voiced clearly. “I believe the quality of life in America is mostly due to what we eat,” a citizen of the city of Lockport expresses. “There are things here in America that are banned in pretty much every other country, so that’s a good sign that it’s pretty bad.” 

Generally, as people get older and gain more wealth, they eventually gain enough money to retire. They have time to do things they truly want to do, and many don’t pick up small jobs after retirement. In all the places where people live the longest, the people there all have that one thing in common. 

In places like Okinawa and Europe, many people continue to work into old age because their work brings them purpose in life.

This concept is seen in many places where mortality rates are low. Places like Japan and Europe have many who link their lives to their jobs. Almost like it keeps them active and their brain working, rather than letting themselves settle.

There are also studies in psychology that show that because of America’s broad individualistic mentality, they naturally die sooner because humans are social beings, but are taught to care about themselves. In Asian cultures, they lean heavily into collectivism. It’s the opposite of individualism, where the person puts themself after everyone else and cares for them.

Individualistic people often rely heavily on themselves and have decreased social connections and lower community support. Several more factors lead America to a worse standing.

Here in America, where our environments are heavily polluted and have the highest mortality rates even before reaching old age can most definitely have an incredible factor in our longevity.

There are also concerns about the quantity of food in America. The food portions in the US are much larger than those in Europe and Asia. In Britain, the large sizes of foods and drinks are the medium sizes of foods and drinks in America.

This all contributes to the idea that food is a large factor in longevity too. 

Whatever the case may lead to a long life, all this information makes the conclusion that the factors of what leads to a long life are too much for it to be determined.  Between talks of food, mindset, and environments, it can be said that all of these contribute to quality of life. But it’s unquantifiable what is the breaking point of what lessens the age of which you pass away.

So, instead of searching for a solution, you should instead try to instead take small steps to improve your quality of living as is. Things like taking a walk, eating at home, or even improving your living space alone is more than enough as long as you enjoy it.