Factors Why Women live Longer than Men

It’s a common knowledge that women tend to live longer than their counterparts. This is a fact that is even supported by statistics and it’s all over the world. You might be wondering why this is so when most of the time, women get sick more often. They have a higher chance of acquiring physical illnesses and go to the doctor more often.

So, why is this so? As you have been taught in school, the reason behind this is how they were created. Men and women were born with dissimilar chromosomes. Women were born homogametic and containing 2 XX chromosomes while men are heterogametic having both the X and Y chromosomes. The dissimilarity of chromosomes determines the gender. This is also responsible for the changes in the body’s development; dictating the body to develop female or male characteristics.

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According to studies, the distribution of fats in the body is one of the biggest factors why women have a longer life span. Women have more fats under the skin while men develop fats around their organs. This tends to have a high risk of developing heart disease among the male species. Estrogen, which protects the DNA and is a contributing factor in longevity is more commonly found in the female body.

On the other hand, men produce more of testosterone and this might be the reason why they pass away earlier than women. In having elevated level of testosterone in men leads to having increased hazardous behaviors; smoking and drinking alcohol. They also get jobs in dangerous industries like mining and construction among others. Studies show that testosterone is the main factor in men’s death. In a study done among men aged 14 to 19 years of age and were castrated as children, they produce lesser testosterone.

In the past, the young women were affected by infectious diseases but in the advancement of medicine, the risk among them had greatly decreased. Some say that there’s a big gender gap in long life in rich countries as compared to the not so rich ones. No matter what the reasons are for having a long life, it would be best to see to it that the health is well taken care of.

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