• Question: why do women usually live longer than men ?

    Asked by Jessica to MarkF, Mark, Michael, Panos, Sarah on 20 Jun 2010 in Categories: .
    • Photo: Panos Soultanas

      Panos Soultanas answered on 18 Jun 2010:

      Don’t really know why. I guess they live better lives…?

    • Photo: Sarah Burl

      Sarah Burl answered on 18 Jun 2010:

      Not sure about this one but women have less heart disease than men although women are more prone to arhtritis. There is some talk about the level of iron contributing to it and less is better. Women are more anaemic than men and men eat more red meat than women, I am not sure I believe this yet. I think it is just because women are much stronger than men in many ways!!!!

    • Photo: Mark Travis

      Mark Travis answered on 18 Jun 2010:

      A big thing is the environemental factors, in that males often partake in more risk-taking behaviours (drink more, smoke more, fight more). I am sure there is a hormonal basis as well.

    • Photo: Mark Fogg

      Mark Fogg answered on 18 Jun 2010:

      Many reasons. There was a research paper published in December last year that strongly suggests women’s DNA does not ‘age’ as quickly as men’s. Historically men did more physically demanding and dangerous jobs, so that would have an effect on the statistics. I believe there is some evidence childbirth gives women an advantage. That is most likely not all the reasons, they’re just the ones I can think of.
      The average gap used to be about ten years, but because of health improvements, this difference is falling and is now about an average of 7 years.
      Oh! I nearly forgot, women have men to do all the fetching and carrying, that probably helps too. 🙂 😉 😉

    • Photo: Michael Loughlin

      Michael Loughlin answered on 20 Jun 2010:

      lots of dofferent answers..here are just a few.

      women tend to develop serious heart conditions about 10 yrs later than men…though to be linked to the level of iron in their bodies
      http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1827162,00.html

      and early study (1970’s) looked at men smoking more, and “using guns more”
      http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1018115

      Nowadays i think we look more at the type and range of genes male and females carry but very good question

Comments