Why do women live longer than men?

So, who lives longer, men or women? Well, according to Tom Perls, founder of the New England Centenarian Study at Boston University, across the industrialized world, women still live 5 to 10 years longer than men. Among people over 100 years old, 85% are women.

Women live longer than men. It is unfair, but true. The question is, why?

Thomas Perls offers two reasons: one is the evolutionary drive to pass on her genes; the other is the need to stay healthy enough to rear as many children as possible. A man’s purpose is simply to carry genes that ensure longevity and pass them on to his children. All right, so that’s a little history for you from our caveman past. Just like Rambo or any Arnold Schwarzenegger movie, men are supercharged with testosterone. Aside from forcing us to watch frenzied flicks like The Matrix Reloaded, the testes-produced hormone also triggers riskier behavior and aggression, and increases levels of harmful cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein), raising the risk of heart disease or stroke. Meanwhile, the female hormone estrogen karate-chops harmful cholesterol and raises “good” cholesterol (high-density lipoprotein).

There was also something else I stumbled upon while searching to find out why our male counterparts don’t live as long as us. One important reason is the big delay — and advantage — women have over men in terms of cardiovascular disease, like heart attack and stroke. Women develop these problems usually in their 70s and 80s, about 10 years later than men, who develop them in their 50s and 60s. A Singapore study found that while men were diagnosed with chronic illness two years earlier than women, women were also disabled by their illnesses four years later. Men more often engage in riskier habits like drinking alcohol and using recreational drugs, as well as eating to excess. And the stereotype about men being averse to seeing a doctor on a regular basis? Studies have shown it's true.

We all want the men in our lives to live as long as possible – whether it be our fathers, uncles, grandfathers, husband or significant other. So if your goal is to be the first 100-year old man in your family tree, here are some things to consider:

1) While our genetic disposition makes many diseases unavoidable, men can put off obvious baddies by not smoking, eating the right foods, exercising properly and living a balanced life.

2) Men always seem to be leaner than women. We all know how to maintain our weight, but shedding excess fat is not as easy as you think. Recent studies suggest low-impact cardio exercises like walking or crash diets don’t cut it. The only way to burn it off is to make yourself sweat!

3) Roll with the punches, or don’t sweat the small stuff. Yeah, we’ve all heard that. But when you’re really stressed out, that goes through one ear and out the other. But there are some advantages to reducing your stress levels. Tap into your stress in hard exercise like running, weight-lifting or martial arts.

One more tip: Break your day into bite-size bits. Divide your workload into tasks, and reward yourself with each completed goal. Stress is insidious. As we all know, it can wrap us up unaware and carry us on adrenaline for days or weeks at a time.

If you want to try something else, curcumin may be a good alternative to keep you living lively and vicariously. Curcumin is employed mostly as an antioxidant, though it was traditionally used to promote stomach and joint comfort. The immune-balancing activity of curcumin has been demonstrated through multiple mechanisms to support normal COX-2 and NF-KappaB levels in the body.

The neuroprotective properties of curcumin are among the most studied. Curcumin has been designated as a ‘strong candidate’ for the promotion of neurological health and cognitive function. Curcumin can cross the blood-brain barrier and support the normal uptake of amyloid-beta in the brain. This supports the brain's memory and learning abilities as we age. Another neuroprotective property of curcumin is its ability to promote normal levels of glutathione, superoxide dismutase and catalase in the brain. This can help to maintain the health of neurological tissues.

By changing just one small thing in your daily lifestyle once a week, whether it's laying off sodas or even quitting smoking, you can increase your chances of living longer. But don't worry, I won't get into how women are smarter than men. We can save that for another blog.