It is a recognized fact that women live longer than men. The reasons are multiple. Here we attempt to briefly describe some of the factors identified in the published studies and suggest new directions for future research.
It is believed that these studies may lead to the discovery of new factors that explain the discrepancy in life expectancy between women and men. One of them is the area of fetal microchimerism, which is the persistence of a certain number of fetal cells in the mother after pregnancy. Another can be found in further studies on the system involved in enhancing the mother’s immune system, during and after pregnancy.
Additional studies may find that women who give birth live longer than those who don’t. In addition, those women who live to be over 100 may have special genes that slow the aging process and reduce the chance of heart disease, stroke, cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease.
The X chromosome may be another influential factor in female life expectancy. Because women have two X chromosomes, if there is an abnormality on one of them, the normal one can be used instead of the defective one. In this case the woman becomes a carrier of the disease but not its victim.
Serious studies point to menopause as an important determinant of life expectancy. Very few species menstruate apart from females and certain whales.
The evolutionary force required to pass on genes and the need to stay alive and have the maximum number of children may be some of the natural forces that allow women to live longer than men.
In the US and other developed countries, the average life expectancy is about eighty years for women and about seventy years for men. In Sweden, however, during the 18th century it was about thirty-seven years for women and thirty-four for men.
Women are more than four times more likely to survive than men for the first twenty-five years, mainly due to men’s testosterone. This factor decreases with age, but the gap still remains in favor of women. Sex hormones are a clear factor to take into account; young men are aggressive, elevated harmful cholesterol levels lead to heart disease or stroke.
However, the female hormone estrogen lowers bad cholesterol and increases “good” cholesterol. Recent studies suggest that estrogen treatment after menopause might reduce the risk of death, especially from heart disease or stroke.
Women have longer lasting hearts and better blood vessels, possibly due to the hormone estrogen. Even diseases like heart disease, stroke, cancer, and diabetes end up killing more men than women.
However, the advantage women have over men does not apply to women who smoke, drink, are overweight, or are under excessive stress, typical of women working in fields previously dominated by men. In reality, there is no difference between male and female smokers.
However, there are certain countries where there is almost no such gap, such as India and Pakistan, where sexual discrimination and practices such as female infanticide and bride burning are commonplace.
Mortality rates can also be affected by chromosomal differences between men and women. Both carry genetic mutations that can cause certain life-threatening diseases.
Females have two X chromosomes, so if there is an abnormality in one of them, the normal one can be used, making the woman a carrier of the disease only. Males have one X and one Y chromosome, so they cannot use an alternate chromosome if one gene is defective. The previously described differences in longevity have been observed in most animals.
Another fact is that men are much more likely than women to engage in risky and violent behavior, which consequently increases the male mortality rate. More men than women also die in car accidents, homicides, and even suicides.
Fetal microchimerism is the persistence of a certain number of fetal cells in a mother after pregnancy. Several recent studies suggest that it may be the cause of some autoimmune diseases. However, the long-term persistence of fetal cells in healthy women is a contraindication. The long-term persistence of fetal cells may also play a role in the development of fetal tolerance.
If the microchimerism is due to cell transfer between mother and fetus, further studies could indicate the effect of these fetal cells in enhancing the mother’s immune system during and after pregnancy. We know that during pregnancy cells can migrate between mother and fetus in both directions.
As the pregnancy progresses, the rate of cell transfer from the fetus to the mother increases. In most cases, the fetal cells are compatible with the mother’s immune system, so the mother’s body does not reject them.
It is believed that such women, especially those who live past ninety or one hundred, may have special genes that slow aging and reduce the likelihood of heart disease, stroke, cancer, or Alzheimer’s.
Other studies could show that women who give birth will live longer than those who don’t. It could also be that those who give birth to at least one male live even longer.
The detection of Y chromosomes or male DNA in women after pregnancy, even in a woman who had her last child many years before the blood sample, may support this theory.
In general, stem cells can replicate and are capable of long-term self-renewal. Since they do not have specific structures, they can evolve into specialized cells such as heart muscle, nerves, or blood cells.
The sources of blood stem cell transplants are the bone marrow, peripheral blood, and umbilical cord of newborns. A new technology that has generated new business is the collection of stem cells from the umbilical cord blood of babies, which are stored for future use.
The advantages of stem cells from the umbilical cord together with the fact that there is a transfer of cells between the mother and the fetus may be another factor that explains and supports the theory that women who give birth will live longer than those who do not. they do.
Finally, it must be emphasized that the reason why women live longer is based on many factors, just a few of them mentioned above.
The Bible (English version) says (Genesis 16): ‘To the woman he said: I will greatly multiply your pains and your pregnancies; with pain you will give birth children; and your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you… ‘.
The Hebrew version has: ‘… in pain you will give birth Children‘.
Although some may claim that ‘Boys’ or banim is the generic name for boys, one may wonder if the original was really ‘Boys’…
The longer life expectancy of women could be part of some grand Darwinian scheme whereby Mother Nature is rewarding motherhood, and especially those women who give birth to at least one boy; mothers can gain another five years of life for their efforts… and they are well worth it…