Americans are living longer, and we can thank both modern medicine, and better methods for preventing health problems. That’s according to a new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The boost to 77.9 years is a new record for the United States, according to the report.

“Deaths: Preliminary Data for 2005″ is based on nearly all death records reported in all 50 states and the District of Columbia during that year. The report says the increase in life expectancy is a continuing trend. In 1955, life expectancy was 69.6 years. By 1995, it had increased to 75.8 years.

The study shows that Americans are continuing to beat the odds against the three leading killers: heart disease, cancer and stroke.

Highlights of the report include:

Life expectancy for whites was 78.3 in 2005, unchanged from the record high of 2004.
Life expectancy for blacks increased slightly from 73.1 years in 2004 to 73.2 years in 2005.
The age-adjusted U. S. death rate fell to below 800 deaths per 100,000 population in 2005 – an all-time low.
The death rate from the three leading killers in the United States – heart disease, cancer and stroke – declined in 2005 compared to the previous year.
The age-adjusted death rate from heart disease fell from 217 deaths per 100,000 in 2004 to 210.3 in 2005.
The age-adjusted death rate from cancer dropped from 185.8 per 100,000 in 2004 to 183.8 in 2005.
The age-adjusted death rate from stroke declined from 50 per 100,000 in 2004 to 46.6 in 2005.
The age-adjusted death rates for the seventh leading cause of death, Alzheimer′s disease, and the 14th leading cause of death, Parkinson′s disease, both increased approximately 5 percent between 2004 and 2005.