Longevity and Gender: Why Do Women Live Longer Than Men? 95 Percent Over 100 Are Women

Why do women live longer than men? Scientists have long known that human supercentenarians, people who live longer than 100, are mostly women. Now, they're taking a closer look as to why that is.

It's known that estrogen has direct effects on stem cell populations in female mice, from increasing the number of blood stem cells, which is extremely helpful during pregnancy, to enhancing the regenerative capacity of brain stem cells at the height of estrus. Whether these changes have a direct impact on lifespan, though, has yet to be explored.

"It is likely that sex plays a role in defining both lifespan and healthspan and the effects of sex may not be identical for these two variables," write the authors in a news release. "As the search continues for ways to ameliorate the aging process and maintain the regenerative capacity of stem cells, let us not forget one of the most effective aging modifiers: sex."

Recent studies have found that estrogen supplements actually increase the lifespan of male mice. In addition, human eunuchs live about 14 years longer than non-castrated males.

With that said, researchers still aren't sure why this age different exists between the sexes. In mice, knocking out different genes can add longevity benefits to one sex but not the other, and males in twin studies have shorter telomeres; that's a sign of shorter cellular lifespan compared to females.

This latest study highlights the necessity of exploring this topic further and finding out why exactly 95 percent of people over 100 are women. By better understanding why females live longer than males, researchers may be able to find ways to increase longevity in all humans.

The findings are presented in the journal Cell Stem Cell.

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