Studies about countries with the highest life expectancy always mention common elements such as good nutrition, a reliable health system, plenty of physical activity, and active social life.
In longevity, as in happiness and many other things, money is not always the most crucial factor. For example, it is significant that the United States, despite having high income per capita, always appears in the middle of the ranking and has never been rated highly in that respect. Inequalities in access to healthcare, and high rates of obesity and violent crime, are undoubtedly the cause of this poor result.
An interesting study by the University of Chicago provides a new vital factor in considering life expectancy: pollution levels. Analyzing microparticle data in the air and comparing the life expectancy in the population of a region of China more exposed to pollution against another area with lower pollution levels, the study reaches devastating conclusions about the effect of pollution on life expectancy.
The study showed areas with high air pollution could result in a decrease of up to six years in life expectancy. Or, in other words, the mere fact of living in an area with poor air quality can mean a significantly earlier death for inhabitants of that area. The authors emphasize that these data suggest that pollution is a more relevant factor in mortality rates than elements we know to be harmful such as tobacco addiction.
The Iberian Peninsula generally gets good results in the University of Chicago study, with only a few months of loss of life derived from pollution. However, as the study identifies combustion derived from transport, heating, and power plants based on fossil fuels as the leading causes of these problems, it can easily be inferred that large cities and highly industrialized regions will be where life expectancy is more adversely impacted by pollution.
The good news is that the damage caused by pollution on the body is not permanent and can be remedied in certain situations. In the same way that research has shown the lungs of an ex-smoker can, a few years after stopping smoking, recover most of their initial good condition, eliminating or reducing exposure to significant air pollution also allows our body to clean itself and heal slowly.
And that is the positive message that we wanted to share today. That we still have the chance to improve our life expectancy. If we are citizens of the European Union, it is as simple as buying a plane ticket and coming to live in Portugal, which due to strong sea breezes, low industrial density and transport, and the high percentage of renewable energy in electricity production, is one of the best places in the world to recover our lungs and general health. In many cases, we can even benefit from substantial tax advantages, which is also a factor of increased wellbeing for many people. And if you are from outside the European Union, you can move in via the golden visa, a visa regime that grants access to EU residence with an investment of 500,000 euros in real estate or 1 million euros in financial assets. It may seem a lot, but how much do we value each year of our life? And what about our children’s lives?
If we add to that the quieter pace of life, excellent food, the possibilities to do all kinds of sports, and the kindness of the people here, we see that the equation adds all the recommended elements. So perhaps we should reformulate the previous question towards the famous song: tell me quando, quando, quando.