Computer software has been created by university researchers that can predict the life expectancy of a person. Knowing when people will pass away could affect how they plan for retirement, and use drugs to treat serious diseases. The program cannot guess when people will breathe their last breath, but it could make an educated guess about how many more years they will live based on factors such as their age, gender, and lifestyle.

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This new study was conducted by the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom and led by Elena Kulinskaya.  

The new software could greatly change how people live and make decisions about money and health. This "Big Data" project is based on the medical records of 3.4 million British people, according to CNN.  

Kulinskaya explains that the software is based on general practitioner (GP) data that is totally anonymous. Many companies including Big Pharma are using Big Data in order in order to find an overall trend.   

Dr. Richard Siow is a coordinator of Aging Research at King's College London. He argues that applying Big Data to one person is not practical because many variables exist.

Nevertheless, Kulinskaya is certain that the new study could have help patients and physicians make wiser decisions about healthcare such as by comparing the life expectancies of people taking different drugs. It could also help people to make better choices about how to use their pension plans based on their life expectancy.

The new study will be completed in four years and receive about $1.15 million in funding. Findings will be based on data from sources such as life insurance companies but will be available to the general public.

In related news, it turns out eating an apple a day does keep the doctor away. Australian researchers tracked a group of women for 15 years and discovered that consuming the round fruit every day was linked to a one-third drop in mortality, according to News

Dr. Johnathan Hodgson explains that the research team focused on apples for various reasons. For example, it is high in Vitamin C, magnesium and potassium, and dietary fiber.

Here's how to increase life expectancy: