Why Do Women Live Longer Than Men? Inside the Gender Longevity Advantage

It might sound like an old wives' tale, but women do indeed live longer than men. It's actually the case for the majority of mammals in the animal kingdom. This is nothing new: the female species has enjoyed a longevity edge since researchers started reporting these statistics.

What's interesting about this fact is that historically, women have had to deal with more illness and difficult life conditions, like poverty and having less control in their lives and more limited access to resources. And research suggests that while their years on the planet may be longer, they are filled with more age-related illnesses and overall "dings" to their well-being—giving men an advantage for overall healthspan.

Why this paradox? The answers aren't totally clear. We'll review what we do know, though, and how blood testing and lifestyle changes can help men close the gap and get the most from their golden years.

Do women live longer than men?

Yes, women do tend to outlive men. On average, global research shows that women live about 5.4 years longer than men. In the United States, women live to the average age of 80 while men live to the average age of 75, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Even more fascinating: This effect, which researchers call the "female survival advantage," is seen across different countries. Even in cultures with vastly different histories and societies, women generally live longer.

What are some biological reasons women live longer than men?

Researchers have many hypotheses about women's longer lifespan, and the longevity gap is likely due to a combination of many factors working together. There's a ton of variation out there, so we can only point to statistical trends across populations.

1. Sex chromosomes: Women have a lower risk of genetic mutations.

One of the leading hypotheses has to do with sex chromosomes. Females (of all mammal species) carry two X chromosomes, while males have one X and one Y chromosome. In females, only one X chromosome is expressed in each cell; the other is inactivated. So about half of her cells express her father's X chromosome and half express her mother's.

Why does this matter? Because males have only one X chromosome, if that chromosome carries a harmful mutation, it gets expressed in every cell. For females, though, whether the mutation gets expressed depends upon whether it is recessive or dominant, and whether she inherited the same mutation from both parents. This explains why there are plenty of X-linked disorders that are more prevalent in men, such as hemophilia and color blindness.

One other point worth noting: Women, on average, have longer telomeres from birth. (Telomeres are the pieces of DNA at the end of a chromosome.) Some X chromosome-linked genes are also associated with longer, which—as long as they're not too long—may be linked to a lengthier lifespan.

2. Sexual selection: What makes a male “attractive” may shorten his life.

Another hypothesis focuses on the intense competition males face for mates. The idea is that evolution may favor traits in males that boost their chances of reproduction, even if those same traits shorten their lifespan. For example, in many species, males show higher levels of aggression and larger body size, which can help them compete for mates but also increase their chances of injury, exhaustion or early death.

3. Sex hormones: Estrogen protects the heart.

Hormones and biology go hand in hand, and researchers point to certain hormones playing a part in our longevity. Women generally have higher levels of estrogen and lower levels of testosterone.

This matters because estrogen has cardiometabolic health benefits. Before menopause, women are naturally more protected against visceral fat accumulation (the dangerous fat that builds up around internal organs) thanks to estrogen. Even women with obesity tend to carry less of that dangerous visceral fat than men who are comparably overweight. Estrogen's perks extend to the heart, too. Cardiovascular disease tends to appear later in women than in men.

But this protection doesn't last forever: Once women hit menopause and estrogen levels plummet, their risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and other metabolic conditions rises significantly.

4. Immune differences: Women have stronger natural defenses.

While it might seem like the men in your life never get sick, the data shows that women tend to have stronger immune defenses. Men are more susceptible to infections from birth through adulthood, research shows. And it turns out that the X chromosome is rife with immune-related genes affecting both the innate (general) and adaptive (specialized) immune responses.

Women generally have stronger innate and adaptive immune responses, which makes them less susceptible to infection than men. The flip side is that women are more likely to develop autoimmune conditions, since their immune systems are more active. Still, more people die from infections than from autoimmune conditions.

Men may also develop immunosenescence (aging of their immune cells) earlier than women. Research shows that as they age, men experience more spikes associated with inflammation.

5. Mitochondrial differences: The battle of the sexes at the cellular level.

As you might recall from high school biology, mitochondria are the powerhouses of the cell. Women generally have more mitochondrial DNA and better cellular respiratory function, meaning their cells are more efficient at converting oxygen and nutrients into usable energy.

Men also tend to have a lower mitochondrial DNA copy number, which is linked to faster aging, reduced cognitive and physical abilities, and higher mortality rates.

One hypothesis for this gap is called the "mother's curse," which suggests that mitochondria are inherited from mothers and thus mutations that harm males but not females can potentially accumulate over generations. This hypothesis is not universally accepted, though, since research is conflicting.

6. Epigenetic age: Biologically, women are younger than men with the same birthday.

Epigenetic age is basically a measure of your biological age based on chemical modifications to your DNA (called methylation patterns) rather than the years you've been alive. Think of it as a snapshot of how much wear and tear your body has endured.

At all ages, men tend to have an older epigenetic age than women. While this is still an emerging area of research, there appear to be some sex-related differences in DNA methylation patterns that lead men to be "epigenetically older" than their same-age female counterparts.

What are lifestyle and behavioral factors that shorten men's lifespan?

Biology isn't the whole story. Compared with women, men also tend to engage in riskier behaviors and lifestyle choices that can shorten their lifespan. Here are the vices worth noting:

1. Risky behavior.

Statistics show that men are more likely to drive drunk, speed, smoke, or engage in otherwise dangerous behavior (like fighting or trying extreme sports). This risky behavior can raise the risk of death from accidents and violence. Why are men less risk-averse? Social expectations surely play some role, but it's also likely due to how hormones affect parts of the brain associated with decision-making.

2. Smoking.

Tobacco use is more common in men than in women. But it's worth noting that this gap is closing, and we may see the effects on female lifespan statistics if this trend continues.

3. Drinking alcohol.

Historically, men tended to imbibe more alcohol than women. This gap, too, is closing as women have been drinking more. But similar to smoking, it's too soon to see the effects of this change.

4. Substance abuse.

Men have higher usage rates of illicit drugs, by which we mean both illegal drugs and misuse of prescription medication. They're also more likely to overdose and require drug-related visits to the emergency room.

5. Occupational exposure.

Men may work in more dangerous jobs (construction, military, mining, manufacturing, etc.), and this increases their risk of work-related accidents. In the same way, men may be more exposed to potentially dangerous toxins that damage health in the long term (like asbestos or industrial chemicals).

6. Healthcare avoidance.

Men may put off seeing their doctor or may be less likely to seek out preventative screening.

7. Refusal to ask for help.

In addition to avoiding healthcare, men may also be less likely to seek out help in general, preferring to "handle it themselves." This applies whether they're lost driving and won't ask for directions or need emotional support.

8. Social isolation.

While men and women tend to report similar levels of loneliness and report having social networks of about the same size, men tend to reach out to their social networks less frequently than women do. Single men, specifically, seem to be more isolated than single women. Social isolation is well-documented to put a dent in both the quality and quantity of our years.

9. Mental health concerns and suicide.

While women tend to have higher rates of many mental health disorders (such as depression and anxiety), men are a lot more likely to commit suicide. The lack of social support and hesitance to seek help may contribute to this.

How men can narrow the longevity gap

Men can help close the lifespan gap by tackling the lifestyle and behavioral factors that contribute to earlier death. Here's what that looks like in practice.

At what age do men start falling behind in life expectancy?

Men don't really start "falling behind" at any specific age. In fact, certain factors (such as genetics and hormones) may be present starting at birth. However, men are more likely to die at many stages of life. Men ages 15-40 are about three times more likely to die than women of the same age bracket. But mortality of men ages 60+ is the main factor in their shorter life expectancy, likely due to earlier onset of age-related diseases like cardiovascular disease.

Are women healthier than men?

It might seem as if the answer to this question is an obvious "yes" since women live longer, but there's a catch: those extra years are not always good ones. Women seem to deal with more age-related diseases and non-communicable illness than men. While there is a female advantage to lifespan, there is a male advantage to healthspan.

What nutrients support men’s longevity?

Many nutrients support longevity, and both men and women can add them to their diets. These nutrients include:

• Nicotinamide riboside (NR)
• Resveratrol
• Fisetin
• Ergothioneine
• Quercetin
• Omega-3 fatty acids
• Astaxanthin
• Vitamin D
• Lithium
• Taurine
• Spermidine
• Myricetin
• Green tea
• Luteolin
• CoQ10

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