(NBC NEWS) — Kentucky is mentioned in new research that suggests an increasing number of Americans are dying in the prime of their lives.
The study was published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The study says between 2010 to 2017, adults 25-to-64 years old in the Ohio Valley Region saw the largest increase in mortality rates at 6 percent.
The Bluegrass is one of those states. Major causes of death in this age group are from drug overdoses, particularly opioids, alcohol and suicides. Together, these are often referred to as "deaths of despair."
Obesity is also a leading factor.
The deaths are causing life expectancy trends for Americans to dip.
