New studies examine why men die younger than women

Men in Switzerland live an average of about three and a half years less than women, and three new studies examine the social and cultural factors that may contribute, SRF reports. The average age at death is 82.4 for men and 85.9 for women. The factors include everyday health habits and men’s lower likelihood of visiting a doctor.

Carolin Lerchenmüller, a senior consultant in cardiology at University Hospital Zurich, said both biology and social circumstances affect life expectancy. These circumstances include working and living conditions, education and social expectations, as well as individual risks such as smoking, drinking and riding a fast motorcycle.

Research comparing monks and nuns, whose living conditions were as similar as possible, still found a relatively large difference in mortality, which was attributed more to biology, Lerchenmüller said. Two X chromosomes appear to offer protection against some diseases, as do sex hormones such as oestrogen against certain conditions.

The three studies, published in the medical journal The Lancet, focus on social factors including disadvantage, poverty, homelessness and incarceration. They also examine the role of health policy, including measures to encourage men to use preventive care and to address commercial influences.

Lerchenmüller said making preventive care easier to access could help, for example by offering virtual appointments. Depression is relatively common among men, although it is more common among women. She said it is thought to be underdiagnosed in men because diagnostic and treatment measures have largely been designed around women. Taking gender into account, she said, can make care more precise and effective.