This is an interesting subject. Drilling down into the data is really important, and I suspect one will find support for their position, whatever it is.

This cited study found 60% of pilots were dead within 5 years of retiring…at 60! Really curious since just a few years later the retirement age was raised. Did it save hundreds of pilots’ lives?

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-...324-story.html

ALPA cites another study that’s thankfully less grim, but it also had like 1% women and an even smaller percentage of nonwhite males among its approx 1,100 participants, so isn’t dispositive for some. It found higher incidences of skin cancer but better overall health in pilots than the general population.

Bottom line, seems like we must do what we must to stay healthy and active as long as possible, eat right, exercise, and stay positive. Good genes help but ultimately, we have to play the cards we are dealt. This reminds me of the challenges of statistics for things like this (30% increase in likelihood of heart attack) because, when it’s *your* heart attack, you’re 100% affected.