#70: 🧓🏼 Why Do Men Live Shorter Lives Than Women?
#70: 🧓🏼 Why Do Men Live Shorter Lives Than Women?
What we can learn from women and their longer life expectancy
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💬 In this note:
🧓🏼 Why Do Men Live Shorter Lives Than Women?
📚 Happy Place
⚡️ The Unusual Collaboration Between Hidden Valley & Burt’s Bees
🗣️ Looking for the read-aloud version of Nina’s Notes?
🧓🏼 Why Do Men Live Shorter Lives Than Women?
As longevity experts are researching supplements, biohacks, and fitness regimes to extend their lifespan, they have made a significant oversight in their approach.
We already have a source of insights into longevity readily available - women.
The disparity in life expectancy between sexes is a phenomenon observed globally, with women consistently outliving men.
Women on average live 5 years longer than men in the U.S and about 7 years longer worldwide.
Leading to a larger population of senior women.
Of the population over age 65, 57% are female.
By age 85, 67% are women.
The sex-based life expectancy gap is a well-known mystery.
However little research has been done to understand why men live shorter lives than women.
The gap in life expectancy is smallest for the wealthy and highly educated, suggesting that broadening access to quality healthcare, diet and other advantages can help men achieve a level of longevity closer to that of women.
This advantage suggests that instead of solely focusing on the latest research and trends, we should be turning our attention to understanding the longevity secrets of women.
Men and women have many differences, in biology, genetics, metabolism, but let’s start with behavior.
Men Have Higher Risk Taking Behavior
Previously scientists explained the life expectancy phenomenon with a behavioral explanation.
The scientists said that men are more likely to take risks than women making them more susceptible to life-threatening injuries.
Problem solved!
But it is much more complex than that.
Yes, men do take more risks than women but, it may have a biological explanation.
Some neuroscientists believe that women are hard-wired to be better decision makers and problem solvers.
This may be one of the reasons why most accident victims tend to be men.
It is also believed that this is a factor behind why men, more so than women, are more likely to smoke and go overboard on drinking.
A male’s amygdala, the part of the brain that regulates the “fight or flight” reaction, is bigger than a female’s.
This may explain why men are more likely to respond with their fists when attacked or threatened.
Men Have Less Social Connections
Friendships are fundamental to our general health, wellbeing and longevity.
Thirty years ago, a majority of men (55%) reported having at least six close friends.
In 2021, slightly more than one in four (27%) of men reported having six or more close friends.
An even more heartbreaking statistic is that 15% of men have no close friendships at all.
And this is even more shocking for men under the age of 30, where 28% reported having no close social interactions.
For reasons that aren’t entirely clear, people with fewer and weaker social connections tend to have higher death rates.
For our longevity, we need to make an effort to build new friendships, and maintain old friendships as we age. Men in particular should be conscious of the data around friendships and longevity.
Seeking out social connections and companionship is a necessity for life.
Men Tend to Avoid Doctors
According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, men are far more likely to skip routine health screens.
Men are also far less likely than women to have seen a doctor of any kind during the previous year.
In a survey by the Cleveland Clinic, 65% of men said they avoid going to the doctor as long as possible.
There are hypotheses of why men avoid going to the doctor, and the number one suggestion is fear. They worry about a bad diagnosis or a bad outcome.
No matter why men skip going to the doctor, one thing is clear: not getting regular check-ups and health screenings can lead to health problems for men later on.
Men Often Have Dangerous Jobs
Men far outnumber women in some of the most risky occupations, including military combat, firefighting, construction work and long-haul truck driving.
In North America and Europe, men are more likely to die from work-related injuries than women.
In Canada, more than 97% of all reported workplace fatalities between 1993 and 2005 were male.
To make these dangerous jobs safer, it is important for men to report unsafe conditions in order to prevent accidents, get proper training and follow safety protocols.
Also very important to take breaks and engage in physical fitness to reduce the risk of injuries due to strain and overexertion.
Suicide
In 2021, men died by suicide nearly 4x more than women.
This higher suicide rate is true, despite the fact that depression is considered more common among women and women make more (non-fatal) suicide attempts.
Some attribute this higher suicide rate to the tendency for men to avoid seeking treatment and support for depression.
Additionally, this can be attributed to cultural norms that discourage men from seeking help for mental illness.
On an uplifting note, in a recent poll, 94% of surveyed adults in the U.S. believe suicide can be prevented.
Biological Differences May Explain Women’s Higher Longevity
Hormones
Estrogen protects women from heart failure by helping to reduce circulatory levels of harmful cholesterol.
Testosterone on the other hand, plays a big role in weakening heart muscles and makes men more vulnerable to heart disease.
Men are 50% more likely to die from heart disease than women.
Genetics
Women have two X chromosomes, while men have one X and one Y chromosome.
The Y chromosome has fewer genes than the X chromosome and is linked to some chronic diseases. This link gives men a higher mortality rate.
The Y chromosome also tends to develop mutations more often than X chromosomes.
The lack of a second X chromosome in males means that X-linked abnormalities among males are not "masked" by a second, normal X chromosome.
Survival in the womb is also less reliable for male fetuses for uncertain, and probably multiple, reasons.
Developmental disorders are also more common among males, and some of these could shorten life expectancy.
Metabolism
Women have higher HDL (high-density lipoprotein), the “good cholesterol”, than men do which enhances heart health.
Having higher HDL also lowers the risk of lifestyle-related diseases such as obesity and diabetes in women.
Size
Across many species, larger animals tend to die younger than smaller ones.
Although the magnitude of this effect is uncertain in humans, it may work against male longevity as women tend to be smaller in size.
Immune System
Sex affects immune response, and unfortunately immunology ranks the lowest amongst biological disciplines for reporting the sex of animals or humans in published papers in the field.
Fewer than 10% of immunology articles analyze data by sex.
Nonetheless, women are thought to have stronger immune systems than men.
For example, 80% of autoimmune disease occurs in females, indicating an overly strong immune system.
Women with acute HIV infection have 40% less viral RNA in their blood than men.
Men show an almost two-fold higher risk of death from malignant cancer than women.
Lastly, women have consistently higher antibody responses to seasonal flu vaccines than men.
We Need More Data
The global phenomenon of women outliving men by several years indicates a significant, unexplored area of longevity research.
To fully understand why life expectancy differs between the sexes, data need to be collected as part of official national statistical data and that data needs to examine the range of economic, social and cultural factors that affect the health of women and men.
In her book Invisible Women (Nina’s Notes BOTW #50), Caroline Criado Perez describes the “gender data gap”, which she argues masks many of the experiences of women.
Collecting better data on women could explain the gender differences in life expectancy, among many other variables.
📚 Book of the Week
Happy Place by Emily Henry
Rating: ★★★☆☆
A feel good, easy romantic read about college friendship and love.
In this book, a couple that has been together since college breaks up, and they think they can fool their best friends into thinking they are still together during their annual weeklong vacation.
This book reminded me of weekend getaways with my college friends, about coming back together after years apart and falling right back into the swing of things.
When you are acting like you did when you were in college together, but also noticing the changes as you all inevitably grow up.
It’s a great book to bring with you on a beach or lake holiday.
⚡️ Check This Out
The popular salad dressing is partnering with Burt’s Bees to create lip balm in four unique flavors: Hidden Valley Ranch, Buffalo Sauce, Crunchy Celery and Fresh Carrot.
The Burt’s Bees x Hidden Valley Ranch Dippers lip balm 4-packs are already sold out on the Burt’s Bees website.
The flavors sound really weird.
But…also kind of interesting!
If you love Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing, you should definitely try these lip balms if and when they restock.
Let me know if they taste like the real thing.
Edited by Wright Time Publishing