To the Editor: Dr Olshansky's research letter on the accelerated aging of US presidents
concluded that presidents do not age faster than other men. 1 That may be true, but this
study cannot demonstrate it due to a faulty comparison. Olshansky compared presidents'
actual age at death (adjusted for aging by subtracting 2 days for every day in office) against
average life expectancy for men matched to the date of inauguration. However, the correct
comparison is with men who have the same profile of risk factors for premature death. For …