Heart Disease: Why Women Live Longer Than Men

Why don't men live as long as women? That's a good question and now, researchers may have an answer. Scientists have taken a closer look at heart disease in both women and men and have found that this may explain the difference.

"We were surprised at how the divergence in mortality between men and women, which originated as early as 1870, was concentrated in the 50 to 70 age range and faded out sharply after age 80," said Eileen Crimmins, one of the researchers, in a news release.

That's why scientists decided to investigate a bit further. They examined the lifespans of people born between 1800 and 1935 in 13 developed nations. They found that in individuals born after 1880, female death rates decreased 70 percent faster than those of males. Even after accounting for smoking-related illnesses, cardiovascular disease appeared to be the cause of the vast majority of excess deaths in adult men over 40 for the same time period. Surprisingly, smoking only accounted for about 30 percent of the difference in mortality between the sexes after 1890.

The new study indicates that men and women may fact different heart disease risks.

"Further study could include analysis of diet and exercise activity differences between countries, deeper examination of genetics and biological vulnerability between sexes at the cell level, and the relationship of these findings to brain health at later ages," said Caleb Finch, one of the researchers.

The findings reveal that the difference between longevity in men and women could be heart disease. This could have important implications for health and for further research into preventative measures.

The findings are published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Related Stories

Sex and Disgust: Women are Less Turned-Off by Fear Than Loathing

For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).