Longevity History – How We’ve (Mostly) Stopped Dying Young
By Dr. Kione Teta, ND, LAc · February 1, 2026 · Longevity Series - Part 1: 1(10)
If you were born in the early 1800s, your life expectancy would have been around 35 years. Not because people dropped dead at 35, but because childhood was a death trap—infectious diseases, poor sanitation, and a complete lack of modern medicine meant many never made it to adulthood. Fast forward to today, and the global average life expectancy is over 72 years, with developed countries reaching into the 80s. So, what changed?
The Long, Slow Climb to a Longer Life
Let’s take a quick journey through history to see what really pushed human lifespans upward:
This is the opening of the article. The full piece is on Kione's Substack.