All the humans on this planet have limited lifespans, without any gender biases. But we often hear the phrases like, men survive lesser than women, men have a really low lifespan, which is approximately balanced in fresh adulthood. And even the average lifespan is about 7 years longer for women than men. And 67 per cent of all those ages 85 and older are women as well. There are various explanations behind the lower ratio of male lifespan, and here are some reasons behind it, explained by the Harvard Health Post.
1. Death from heart disorders at a younger age:
Men around the world are 50% more inclined than women to die from any kind of heart disorder. The lower estrogenic levels, unfavourable cholesterol levels, badly treated high blood pressure, are possibly the reasons behind it.
2. Risky job profiles and the habit of taking bigger risks:
Men are more included in the risky job profiles like military services, construction sites and firefighting. Moreover, there can be a biological reason behind the habits of taking unnecessary risks. The frontal lobe of the brain, which is a portion that prevents decision and thinking of an activity’s outcomes, improves gradually in young males. This possibly involves the reason behind young men dying in accidents or due to violence, homicide and lifestyle decisions like excessive drinking or smoking.
3. Less social interactions:
Men are less interactive on social terms, and people with limited and unhealthier social relationships, which inclines to affect men more often than women, tend to have increased death probabilities.
4. Commit suicide more repeatedly than women:
Normally, depression is assumed more widespread among women, but they are more likely to seek help after that. On the other side, men avoid pursuing help for depression and the norms of society also demoralize men from attempting support for mental sickness.
5. Be bigger than women:
According to the studies, in several species, bigger creatures incline to die younger than tinier ones. The importance of this outcome is unlikely in humans, it perhaps functions against male lifespan.
6. Ignore Doctors:
According to the report of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, men often avoid their routine health checkups and very less likely than women, to have met a doctor after an illness.
All these facts are based upon the Harvard Health Post's research over the habits and studies on men and women around the world. But recently, a new report with additional scientific shreds of evidence was published by the scientists at Sydney on 4 March 2020. This research was done by researchers from UNSW Science’s School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences. They studied the entire academic literature on sex chromosomes and lifespan, and they tried to find out if one particular sex lives longer than the other one.
Precisely, the team preferred to test the unguarded X hypothesis. This X hypothesis suggests that the Y chromosome in male (XY) is less able to protect a person from deadly genes formulated, as compared to the female chromosome (XX).
Moreover, the Y chromosome is tinier than the X chromosome, and sometimes absent as well. Thus, it is incapable to hide an X chromosome that holds several unhealthy mutations, which perhaps expose the person to health threats. The researchers similarly studied other mammals and birds, reptiles, amphibians. In the end, they found that a wide range of species, the heterogametic sex (male) incline to die first than the homogametic sex (female), and it is 17.6% ahead on average. Thus, men's personal choices and their biological functions, both factors are responsible for men living lower than women worldwide.
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(Source - www.health.harvard.edu / newsroom.unsw.edu)