Why do women live longer than men?

Women live longer for men. Something like a long shot: in the US, Women have an average life expectancy There are about 80 people compared to about 75 men.

This applies regardless of where the women live, how much money they make, or many other factors. It's even number This applies to most other mammals.

“It is a very robust phenomenon all over the world, completely conserved in the age of disease, hunger, epidemics and starvation,” says Dr. Dena Duval, professor of neurology at the University of California, San Francisco. states.

But the reasons why women live longer are complicated and less established – and the fact that they outweigh men doesn't necessarily mean that they are A better life. Women tend to do that short Healthy span (the number of healthy years inhabited) or more than men), said Bérénice Benayoun, associate professor at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology. Women are generally I'm physically weaker than men Old age; also more vulnerable to developing cardiovascular problems, especially after menopause Alzheimer's diseaseDr. Benayon said, since age itself is a risk factor for these conditions.

Scientists are trying to clarify why men and women are different ages in the hopes of extending their longevity and health spans.

“If we can understand whether one sex is more resilient or vulnerable, there is a new pathway, a new molecular understanding for new treatments that will help one or both genders be resilient,” Duval said. The doctor said.

This is something they know so far as to cause the longevity gap.

Genetics

a A growing range of research Although it suggests that the XX set of female sex chromosomes (carrying DNA along with other chromosomes) can collide with lifespan, it is not clear exactly. for example, Surveys in 2018 Doctor Dubal's laboratory We saw mice genetically engineered with different combinations of sex chromosomes and reproductive organs. The patients with two X chromosomes and ovaries were the longest followed by mice with two X chromosomes and testes. Mice with XY chromosomes have short lifespans.

“There was something about the second X chromosome that protected mice from dying early in life, even if they had testes,” Dr. Dubal said. “What if there was something that was sprinkled with a young man's fountain on that second X chromosome?”

Scientists haven't yet looked into this in humans, but Dr. Duval said that the fact that we have the same hormones and sex chromosomes, and that we have similar reproductive systems, is that the findings have made it clear that people suggests that it may be similar to

Epigenetic factors – Environmental or lifestyle factors such as climate and chronic stress can also play a role in which genes are expressed, how they affect, and how they can survive, among men and women. It could potentially widen or reduce the gap between, said Montserrat Anjella, an associate professor of biomedical science at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, who studies the topic.

hormone

We are investigating the roles of researchers Sex hormones like estrogen Longevity, I am particularly interested in the effects it has on the immune system. “There is appropriate data to show that women's immune systems tend to improve and be able to attach more responses, at least before menopause,” Dr. Benayon said. Generally, menIt tends to get much worse depending on the infection“It can shorten the scope of their lives. They are also more likely to die of sepsis than women, she said.

One 2017 analysis It was found that women who experienced menopause over the age of 50 live longer than women who had previously experienced it. Lower estrogen levels, such as during menopause, appear to weaken the women's immune system. And women tend to catch up (or outweigh) men in terms of developing diseases that were less common before menopause, Dr. Benayon said.

Lifestyle and behavior

Patterns of behavior play an important role in disparity. Kyle Burassa, a psychologist and senior fellow at the Center for Aging and Human Development Research at Duke University, said women are generally less likely to smoke or drink drinks than men.

Women also tend to practice more “health-promoting behaviors,” such as wearing seat belts and visiting doctors for annual appointments, Dr. Bulassa said. Furthermore, he says that women are more likely to socialize than men; The harmful effects of social isolation and loneliness. The 2023 analysis found that they were Also, the chances of death are low Due to drug overdose or suicide.

External factors

Muramatsu, a professor of community health science at the University of Illinois University of Chicago, said on a broader social level, issues such as war and gun violence disproportionately affected men.

Men during the COVID pandemic I died at a higher rate From a woman. Research has shown They were more likely All of that have affected mortality rates, such as food preparation and construction, to retain jobs exposed to the virus, or to be homeless or imprisoned.

Alan Cohen, an associate professor of environmental health sciences at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, said it is a combination of all these factors that ultimately determine the lifespan gap. “There are probably 1,000 ways that it's happening.”

And despite controlling several factors such as drinking, smoking and eating, it is still not clear how much life expectancy will have by changing these behaviors, Dr. Bulassa said. Ta.

“We need a randomized controlled trial to separate these things,” he said.