His Last, Best Cause - washingtonpost.com: Smith, 54, like many other black men, died before his time. Black men have a life expectancy of 69 years, six years less than white men and far shorter than men of other ethnic group. They are more than twice as likely to die from cancer as white men, according to the National Cancer Institute, and nine times as likely as white men to die of AIDS. They suffer from lung disease, heart disease, hypertension, stroke, diabetes and other chronic illnesses in disproportionate numbers that alarm health-care professionals.
'From cradle to grave, African Americans have the worst statistics in almost every area of health,' said Khan Nedd, founder of the Grand Rapids African American Health Institute in Michigan.
