Living longer doesn’t always mean living healthier.

That’s according to a study published in JAMA Network Open, which found a “widening gap between lifespan and healthspan” among 183 countries.

In 2019, there was a “healthspan-lifespan gap” of 9.6 years globally, a 13% increase from 8.5 years in 2019, Mayo Clinic researchers found.

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That gap was largest in the U.S., as Americans live in poor health for an average of 12.4 years, compared to 10.9 years in 2000.

The U.S. also reported the “highest burden of chronic disease,” the researchers noted, primarily due to mental illness, substance use disorders and musculoskeletal conditions.

The researchers analyzed data from the WHO Global Health Observatory, which included statistics on life expectancy, health-adjusted life expectancy and years lived with disease for each member country.

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Lead study author Dr. Andre Terzic, the Marriott family professor of cardiovascular research at Mayo Clinic, calls the healthspan-lifespan gap a “universal threat to healthy longevity.”

“Advances in longevity are a major milestone for humankind — gains in life expectancy, however, have not been matched with an equivalent expansion in healthy longevity,” he told Fox News Digital. 

The U.S. reported the “highest burden of chronic disease,” the researchers noted, primarily due to mental illness, substance use disorders and musculoskeletal conditions. (iStock)

There was also a gender gap, with women experiencing more years in poor health than men.

“Worldwide, women live longer than men, but exhibit a 2.4-year-wider healthspan-lifespan gap,” said Terzic. 

“In the U.S., women had a higher non-communicable disease burden, with a particularly pronounced contribution from musculoskeletal, genitourinary and neurological diseases.”

The study findings point to the need for an “accelerated pivot to proactive, wellness-centric care systems,” according to Terzic.

The study findings point to the need for an “accelerated pivot to proactive, wellness-centric care systems,” according to the lead researcher. (iStock)

“Further study is needed to identify demographic, economic and health drivers of the healthspan-lifespan gap.”

The research was funded by the Marriott Family Foundation, National Institutes of Health and National Institute of General Medical Sciences.

Personalized nutrition is key, doctor says

Grant Antoine, a naturopathic doctor and clinical lead at Viome, a health care testing company in Bellevue, Washington, said there are a number of factors that have widened the healthspan-lifespan gap in the U.S.

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“While medical advancements have extended life expectancy, they haven’t addressed the root causes of poor health, such as diet, chronic stress, sedentary lifestyles and preventable diseases,” he told Fox News Digital. 

“These issues are compounded by the fact that there is no one answer to eating healthy.”

Some of the key factors contributing to aging and reduced healthspan include poor nutrition, imbalanced gut health and chronic inflammation, according to one expert. (iStock)

Some of the key factors contributing to aging and reduced healthspan include poor nutrition, imbalanced gut health and chronic inflammation, according to Antoine. 

“To close the healthspan-lifespan gap in the U.S., we need to prioritize personalized, science-backed nutrition that’s based on each individual’s biology rather than a one-size-fits-all diet,” he recommended. 

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“There is no universally healthy diet or supplement. Personalized nutrition is a key to ensuring that people live healthier longer.”

Less than three years ago, Tina Willits, now 53, thought she had just two years to live.

Today, she is cancer-free and wants the world to know about the treatment that saved her.

The Florida mother and grandmother first felt a lump in late 2021, just months after a normal mammogram. 

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In March 2022, she discovered that she had HER2 positive breast cancer, an aggressive form of the disease in which the cancer cells have an abnormally high level of a protein called human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2).

“I still remember the doctor coming in and telling us that it was in my lymph nodes, ribs, spine, sternum and bones,” Willits told Fox News Digital during an on-camera interview. (See the video at the top of this article.) 

Willits was told that she had golf ball-sized tumors and that the disease was too advanced for a mastectomy. She was placed on end-of-care chemotherapy and told to “enjoy the time you have left.”

“The doctor told me, ‘We will try to stop the progression,’ but she said ‘the best we can probably offer you is about 24 months.’”

‘I wanted it gone’

Willits wasn’t satisfied with just stopping the progression of her cancer.

“I have five biological children and I was raising two of my bonus babies, and I had four grandkids at the time,” she said. 

“And I was just determined that I wanted it gone. That was my goal. And I remember my oncologist telling me that was never going to happen.”

“The doctor told me, ‘The best we can offer you is about 24 months.’”

After doing some of her own research, Willits learned about an alternative treatment called immunotherapy, which uses the body’s immune system to identify and destroy cancer cells. 

For decades, the go-to treatments for cancer have been chemotherapy, radiation and surgery — but some experts are calling immunotherapy the “fourth pillar” of cancer treatments.

“I have five biological children and I was raising two of my bonus babies, and I had four grandkids at the time,” said Willits about why she was so determined to beat cancer. (Tina Willits)

In her research, she came across Dr. Jason R. Williams of The Williams Cancer Institute in California, who offers a new cancer therapy that uses cold gases and the body’s own cells to freeze and fight tumors. 

“Immunotherapy teaches the immune system to attack the cancer,” Williams told Fox News Digital. “So, like a vaccine, it can give you a long-term, durable response. This is what is needed to achieve cures.”

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Willits and her husband reached out to the doctor, who immediately began looking into her case.

“She physically was in good condition, even though her cancer was advanced,” Williams said about Willits. “She was on chemo, but still remained in very good health, even though she was advanced and metastatic.”

He added, “I was confident, but cautious. Cancer is a very challenging foe.”

Willits is pictured at her wedding, before being diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer. “I’m a part of my family’s life every day,” she told Fox News Digital. (Tina Willits)

Williams offered Willits something she hadn’t had until then: hope.  

“He was just unbelievable. After seeing all of my tests, he said, ‘I can cure you,’” she told Fox News Digital. “And you don’t get those words as a stage 4 patient.”

Six weeks after receiving a course of immunotherapy treatments — in conjunction with supplements to ramp up the immune system and cryoablation, a procedure that uses freezing temperatures to destroy cancer cells — a PET scan revealed that Willits’ cancer was gone.

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Today, Willits said, she is stable and healthy.

“I exercise every day. I’m a part of my family’s life every day. Cancer, we feel, is completely behind us — and that was almost an impossible mission,” she said.

“People ask me all the time, you know, how did you cure your cancer? And I say, ‘Well, God led me to Dr. Williams.’”

“I cannot even imagine if I had stayed the course of traditional treatment and just tried to stop the progression,” said Willits. (Tina Willits)

Williams believes that immunotherapy is the future of cancer treatments.

“We first must target the tumor directly, injecting immunotherapy into it,” he said.  

“In the future, the patient will be diagnosed with a suspicious lesion, and at the time of initial biopsy, we will begin treating it by injecting immunotherapy.”

Balancing risks and benefits 

While immunotherapy has shown promise as an alternate treatment, it does come with its own risks and limitations for certain groups of patients.

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“Patients with autoimmune diseases have a higher risk, because the immune system is more primed to also attack normal tissues,” Williams cautioned.  

“Though risks are higher, we do have techniques to overcome this, and so the benefits outweigh the risks.”

“As oncologists, we don’t want to expose a patient to a medication that can increase the risk of side effects without a clinical benefit.”

Brian Slomovitz, director of gynecologic oncology and co-chair of the Cancer Research Committee at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Florida, noted that immunotherapy has transformed the way many cancers are treated, but that it’s not always effective.

“It is important to understand that it is not useful in all patients,” said Slomovitz, who was not involved in Willits’ care.

“As oncologists, we don’t want to expose a patient to a medication that can increase the risk of side effects without a clinical benefit.”

In “properly selected” patients, however, Slomovitz believes immunotherapy can prolong both the time to cancer recurrence and overall survival rates. 

Today, Willits said, she is stable and healthy. “I exercise every day,” she told Fox News Digital. (Tina Willits)

“I’m excited to watch as the field of immuno-oncology continues to evolve.”

Willits now aims to raise awareness of the availability of this treatment, as many women assume that chemotherapy, radiation and surgery are their only options.

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“The reality is there are women out there who don’t know it exists,” she said. “And if we can get the word out, I can’t even tell you how many hundreds of women we could potentially save.”

She also said, “I cannot even imagine if I had stayed the course of traditional treatment and just tried to stop the progression. I mean, it’s out of my body. It’s gone. Life is back to normal again. And I am so grateful.”

“If we can get the word out, I can’t even tell you how many hundreds of women we could potentially save,” Willits said. (Tina Willits)

While Willits’ prognosis is “excellent,” Williams emphasized that “we must always be cautious and continue to monitor … Any person who has had cancer before certainly has a higher than normal risk for another cancer or a recurrence.”

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For patients just starting their cancer journey, Williams says it’s critical to take the time to research the options thoroughly. 

“Numerous off-label medications and supplements that are available can help enhance treatment outcomes, and exploring immunotherapy should always be a priority,” he added.

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