A. For most Americans, life expectancy continues merrily to rise.
B. And the poorest Americans have gained the most: blacks, for example, live more than twice as long now as they did a century ago.
C. Even though smoking takes an average of 14. 5 years off women’s lives, almost one in five American women age 18 and older smokes.
D. The counties where life expectancy has fallen are nearly all in the South or Appalachia, where huge deep-fried portions are the norm and waistlines are among America’s widest.
E. But both sexes have quit in droves since the 1970s, so the death toll may fall in the future.
F. The crucial question is whether this represents a blip or the start of a trend.