Men biologically age faster than woman resulting in earlier death

Researchers from the University of Virginia have found that men biologically age faster than women due to their chromosomes, resulting in men dying earlier and women living longer.

The research by published by the University of Virginia in the Friday, July 15 edition of Science Journal suggests that the ageing process is linked to the loss of the Y chromosome.

That they say can cause the heart muscle to scar which is one of the main causes of heart failure.

For those who don’t remember their high school lessons, women have two X chromosomes and men an X and a Y. According to the researchers around 40 per cent of males over 70 start to experience a loss in the Y chromosome, whereas women don’t experience the same issue.

Smoking was also found to increase the loss of the Y chromosome increasing the chances of dying at a younger age and of developing diseases like dementia and Alzheimers.

The loss of the Y chromosome the researchers say is what they believe causes men to age more quickly. But there is good news, they say that drugs could be used to target the scarring of the heart and they could result in men living longer and healthier.

Professor Kenneth Walsh, from the University of Virginia, said: “Particularly past age 60, men die more rapidly than women. It’s as if they biologically age more quickly.

“This new research provides clues as to why men have shorter lifespans than women.”

He added that drugs like Pirfenidone may help counteract the harmful effects of chromosome loss. .

Using gene-editing technology to understand the effects of Y chromosome loss in the blood, researchers found that it made men more prone to heart disease. Using a UK Biobank study, they found Y chromosome loss was associated with cardiovascular disease and heart failure.

The finding that men biologically age faster than women, is an important piece of research that could help drug manufacturers target their efforts in developing drugs to counter the issue.

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