Why Do Women Live Longer Than Men?
While it’s long been known that women tend to live longer than men, researchers for years ascribed the trend to lifestyle differences. But now, researchers in the emerging field of “geroscience,” or the study of aging, are discovering some of the genetic and biological factors behind the longevity gap, Clare Ansberry writes for the Wall Street Journal.
And researchers estimate that the gap in longevity will continue. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, women’s life expectancy is projected to reach 87.3 years by 2060, compared with 83.9 years for men.
But when it comes to why women live longer than men, Marcia Stefanick, a professor at Stanford University School of Medicine, said researchers know “men and women age differently,” but are still “kind of guessing how.”
Excerpted from Advisory Board
