Why do men die earlier than their wives — or before women, period?

By Margaret McCormick

“Homicide?,’’ says one of the darker posts in a thread on the subject at UrbanBaby.com, an online interactive community for parents living in major metropolitan areas (go to www.urbanbaby.com/talk/posts/51634601).

“LOL,’’ or laughing out loud, reads one reply.

“You really don’t know the punch line to this old joke?,’’ says another. “The reason is because they want to!’’

“Ba dum CHA!’’

But seriously… why do men leave this life on average five to 10 years before women? And don’t say it’s because they’re dying to get away from us, or to give women some time to live their lives in peace.
The longevity and gender question is one of life’s great mysteries, one that has puzzled the medical community and gerontology experts for, well, ages.

Some research has suggested the reason is genetics: Women have two X chromosomes while men have an X and a Y. Some say it’s because women are more in tune with their bodies: We diet to lose weight or eat healthily to maintain weight and exercise for health and fitness and sculpted muscles.

Some say the reason is related to the fact that women give birth, and therefore have a higher threshold for pain.

A. Major, writing on the subject at www.Helium.com, a health and wellness website, says: “Women live longer than men because they are like the bamboo tree, which subsists under trying conditions due to its resilience, flexibility and strength. On the other hand, men are more like oak trees, growing straight and tall but lacking the capacity to bend, so under a heavy weight, will eventually snap and fall to the ground. That is one of the reasons why women live longer than men.’’

You can read the essay at www.helium.com/items/1000664 .

Men, at all ages, die younger than women. In our 20s, the contributing factors are murder, suicide and risky behavior. Men perform more dangerous jobs and serve in the military and go to war in higher numbers.
By age 40, the chief cause of death for men is coronary artery disease. There may have been signs of this in their 30s, but men tend not to be as vigilant about seeing a doctor regularly as women are.

Men also die more from infections and diseases (think tuberculosis) than women do. They tend to have weaker immune systems.

Tom Perls, founder of the New England Centenarian Study at Boston University and creator of the website www.livingto100.com, has suggested there are three things men do worse than women: “They smoke a lot more,’’ Perls told Time magazine in 2008. “That gender gap is fortunately shrinking, since men are smoking less and less. They eat more food that leads to high cholesterol.

“And, perhaps related to that, men tend not to deal with their stress as well as women. They may be more prone to internalizing that stress rather than letting go — though that’s a fairly controversial point. Nonetheless, stress plays a very important role in cardiovascular disease.’’

There are other issues.

“Lifestyle issues are believed to influence our health and mortality,’’ says Douglas A. Wolf, professor of aging studies and associate director of the Center for Aging and Policy Studies at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School.

Women may live longer than men, he says, because they have a dedicated support system. “A man’s social network is his wife,’’ Wolf says. “A wife’s social network is her neighbors, family and friends.’’

Dr. Marianne J. Legato, a professor of clinical health at Columbia University in New York City, addresses gender differences and longevity in a video at the women’s health website www.EmpowHer.com.

“We socialize men differently,’’ Legato notes in the video. “We tell them not to complain and ask them to perform some of the most dangerous jobs in society. They minimize injuries, in sports and in life in general.
“So it’s a combination of biological delicacy, if you will, and vulnerability and the rather heartless way or thoughtless way we socialize men, I think, that causes their earlier deaths.’’

To see the video, go to www.5min.com/Video/Why-Women-Live-Longer-Than-Men-231377687 .
Sharon Brangman, a physician in Syracuse whose specialty is geriatrics, says that Baby Boomers are turning 60 at a rate of 8,000 per day, and the question for that group — and people of all ages — to address going forward is: “How do we want to live?’’

“Women live longer than men, but you also want to live with a high level of functionality,’’ says Brangman, who also is a professor of medicine and division chief of geriatric medicine in the Department of Medicine at SUNY Upstate Medical University.

“My patients universally tell me they don’t want to be a burden to anyone.’’

Her advice for people looking to add years to their life and life to their years: Don’t smoke, drink in moderation, exercise daily (at least 30 minutes) for strength, endurance and flexibility (try yoga, Pilates or tai chi) and keep yourself socially, mentally and civically engaged.

For men and women alike, Brangman says: “It’s a good time to start figuring out what you want your aging years to look like.’’