Being President Is Tough but Usually Not Fatal, a Study Concludes

[alp227]

Source: NYT

Despite a common assumption that life in the Oval Office prematurely ages its occupants and speculation that it may even shorten life spans, a new statistical analysis has found that most presidents have actually lived longer than other American men their age. And all living presidents have either already surpassed the average expected life span or are likely to do so.

S. Jay Olshansky, an expert on aging at the University of Illinois at Chicago, gathered the evidence and concluded that 23 of the 34 presidents who died of natural causes “lived beyond the average life expectancy for men of the same age when they were inaugurated.”

“We don’t die of gray hair and wrinkled skin,” said Dr. Olshansky, whose findings will be published on Wednesday in The Journal of the American Medical Association.

Dr. Olshansky first became intrigued by presidential longevity when he heard chatter in the news media about the signs, around Mr. Obama’s 50th birthday celebration in August, that the president was aging quickly. Commentators dwelled on the gray hair above his temples, the deepening creases around his mouth and the bags under his eyes that seemed to betray a weariness in one of the most stressful jobs on earth. There was even speculation that presidents age two years for every one they spend in the White House.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/07/health/american-presidents-outlive-other-men-their-age-study-finds.html

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President Bill Clinton in 1993, top left, and then in 2000. George W. Bush, as president-elect in 2000, bottom left, and then in the final year of his term in 2008. While many people see the graying of presidents in office as a sign of accelerated aging, a study has concluded that presidents tend to outlive other American men their age. (Clockwise from top left: Ron Edmonds/Associated Press; Kevin Lamarque/Reuters; Gary Hershorn/Reuters; Doug Mills/The New York Times)

John Adams and James Madison lived to be over 80, a feat EXTREMELY rare for their eras (see this list of Presidents).

And Obama "then and now":

[stockholmer]

1. the fact they get the best medical care in the world (beyond most pople's dreams)doesn't hurt either

[backscatter712]

2. That was my guess.

They're rich, and they get the best health care in the world.

The stuff that the rest of us are stuck looking at from the other side of the glass case, but aren't allowed to touch.

[jakeXT]

3. Rule No. 1 Keep the MIC & Wall Street happy and you won't end up with lead poisoning /nt

[treestar]

4. Always thought it was silly

They are at an age when one ages, for one thing. That factor has to be considered too. Gray hair at 50! OMG!

And I know I'll get it for this, but just how stressful is the job? Think about it rather than just assuming. You have every possible assistant to help with every little detail. Transportation - a dream. You don't spend a second in traffic. You don' t have to worry about appointments, getting there on time. Others take care of it all and if you are late, no body is going to do anything to you about it!

OK maybe the possibility someone will kill you is stressful, but you have a full time, top notch body guard.

[No Elephants]

5. It's good to be the king. And, in the U.S., it's even better to be the former king.

Also agree with treestar. The years between say 52 and 60 are years when people visibly age a lot.

Besides, with Presidents, we don't know what is being touched up. Reagan's hair was white. Obama's has gone visibly much whiter and back again a few times now.

Some photos may be taken in places lit kindly, while others are not, some taken by a sympathetic photographer and others not.

And then there's always re-touching and airbrushing.