Do Women Live Longer Than Men?

Do women live longer? This is a very commonly asked question.

But do they really live longer compared to their counterpart men? Women have some emotional and physical advantages which help them live longer compared to men. Well, this gender gap cannot be fully justified.

But there are few typical unhealthy habits like smoking and drinking alcohol of some men, please don’t get agitated, I did mention “some men” not everyone will have this bad habits. These unhealthy habits might stop them from being 100% healthy.  

It is also believed that it is due to the presence of estrogen which protects the heart of women from disease. Estrogen is the primary female sex hormone, responsible for the development and maintenance of female characteristics of the body.

To know why women age slower than men, research has been performed on the rate at which cells age. The main biological reason and that makes women stand out is that they have longer telomeres. Now you need to know what telomeres are.

Telomeres are a compound structure at the end of a chromosome. They play a very important role in living a healthier life. There are many factors that modulate the length of telomere; studies suggest that exposure to estrogen increases the activity of telomere; this enzyme can not only protect but also elongate telomeres. Telomeres also show an effect on women’s hormones, mental and reproductive health.

The less cardiovascular diseases may be the impact of longer telomeres. In many cases a longer life for both women and men. 

But studies warn that the telomeres can be shortened prematurely due to stress, chronic or childhood psychological harsh conditions.