Question: Why do women live longer than men?
In most countries, research has shown that women generally live longer than men. There are more women above the age of 80 compared to men. The following are some of the reasons why women live longer lives than men.
1. Women have Two X Chromosomes
Women have two X chromosomes, while men have X and Y chromosomes. Women having two X chromosomes in them let them have two copies of each gene. And, as cells age, the other can back it up for functioning, if one of the genes were to be damaged. For men, they lack that extra X chromosomes, which negates the chance of having a back-up, leading to continuous aging of cells, making them more susceptible to disease.
2. Estrogen
Due to menstruation, during …show more content…
Women typically develop heart disease 10 years later than men. Men’s risk of heart disease appears only in extreme old age, while women's risk of heart disease begins to increase only after menopause. Smoking and alcohol put men at an increased risk of getting cardiovascular diseases and stroke. Studies also show that women have better stress handling capabilities compared to men, resulting in decreased risk in women. Another possibility is the idea that during the second half of the menstrual cycle, a woman’s heart rate increases, which results in attaining the same benefits that moderate exercise can offer, resulting in delayed risk of cardiovascular disease when older.
It is believed that women can live longer than men without food because women have more body fat and less muscle mass than men. Since fatty tissue needs far fewer calories than muscle, women have the double advantage during starvation. Body fat tends to be distributed differently over men’s bodies compared with women’s, and their differing patterns of adiposity could make men more vulnerable to the increasing weight that resulted from changes in diet and
In most countries, research has shown that women generally live longer than men. There are more women above the age of 80 compared to men. The following are some of the reasons why women live longer lives than men.
1. Women have Two X Chromosomes
Women have two X chromosomes, while men have X and Y chromosomes. Women having two X chromosomes in them let them have two copies of each gene. And, as cells age, the other can back it up for functioning, if one of the genes were to be damaged. For men, they lack that extra X chromosomes, which negates the chance of having a back-up, leading to continuous aging of cells, making them more susceptible to disease.
2. Estrogen
Due to menstruation, during …show more content…
Women typically develop heart disease 10 years later than men. Men’s risk of heart disease appears only in extreme old age, while women's risk of heart disease begins to increase only after menopause. Smoking and alcohol put men at an increased risk of getting cardiovascular diseases and stroke. Studies also show that women have better stress handling capabilities compared to men, resulting in decreased risk in women. Another possibility is the idea that during the second half of the menstrual cycle, a woman’s heart rate increases, which results in attaining the same benefits that moderate exercise can offer, resulting in delayed risk of cardiovascular disease when older.
It is believed that women can live longer than men without food because women have more body fat and less muscle mass than men. Since fatty tissue needs far fewer calories than muscle, women have the double advantage during starvation. Body fat tends to be distributed differently over men’s bodies compared with women’s, and their differing patterns of adiposity could make men more vulnerable to the increasing weight that resulted from changes in diet and