If you want to live longer, live in France!

The French media have celebrated encourageing news : at more than 80 years France has the second highest life expectancy in the world after Japan.

France's progress follows 60 years of steadily rising life expectancy, but the increase of the past two years has been unexpectedly fast. This improvement is said to be due to advances in the fight against cancer and heart disease, more extensive screening against diseases, and lower rates of smoking and alcoholism -- particularly among men. So it seems that prevention is the key word which makes a case for a good - albeit costly - healthcare system.

There is concern of ageing population drainning the economy but with a birth rate of 1.9 per woman, France is better positioned than most of its neighbours to cope with the imbalance.

In the U.S. life expectancy average is 77.2 years but there are predictions of a possible decline due to the increase of obesity in younger generations. Illnesses caused by obesity are already shortening the average U.S. life by at least four to nine months.