Male Susceptibility to Parasites May Help Explain Shorter Lifespans

Scientific American ^ | September 20, 2002 | Sarah Graham

[general_re]

Well, okay. Whatever works, right? ;)

[monkey]

Yep. The best study on this, published a year or two ago in NEJM, showed that there is a consistent relationship between lower weight and longevity, once other factors are accounted for. Note also that the Okinawans, who have by far the highest percentage of centenarians, are very small and light eaters.

There is some evidence that eating significantly less will actually slow the aging process (as opposed to simply avioding illness); the process is called calorie restriction and some people are trying it.

[Focault's Pendulum]

Do parasites include ex wives?

This proves I'm telepathic...I thought it...you typed it.

[Feiny]

Uh, I said OLD people....52 is not old...at least that what my Mom says!

[VadeRetro]

52 is not old...at least that what my Mom says!

Oh, well . . . OK. Thanks, Sonny!

Whippersnapper!

[Feiny]

Hey, I am a girl not a whippersnapper!

[VadeRetro]

My bifocals were misty. Sorry!

[VadeRetro]

Good heavens! You're drop-dead gorgeous.

Eye Doc, here I come!

[gc4nra]

"Hey, I am a girl not a whippersnapper!"

Oh, come on! I'll bet you've snapped a whipper or two in your day!

[general_re]

[LibKill]

Now you know why women live longer than men.

Wrong, wrong, totally wrong.

Men die earlier than women because we want to. :)

[foolscap]

Not sure, but my research shows that short people outlive the tall. Think about it....How many tall old people do you see?

Tough to say because most of them shrink as they age.

[PatrickHenry]

All right, time to get serious here about evolution. I would suggest that the male of the species, once he's of an age where he has probably fulfilled his reproductive function, is expendable -- biologically speaking. There is no reproductive or survival advantage for a tribe that has a bunch of 90-year-old guys hanging around. So there has been no selection pressure for male longevity.

All you really need to do is stay alive and healthy long enough to produce children. If you go on to become 90 years old, nature just doesn't give a hoot. You've passed on your seed long ago, and so did everyone else, even those who died decades before you. Zero advantage, in the context of reproductive success.

The amazing thing is that we live as long as we do. And why women live so long is also a puzzle. At least to me.

[VadeRetro]

There is no reproductive or survival advantage for a tribe that has a bunch of 90-year-old guys hanging around.

True as far as it goes.

The amazing thing is that we live as long as we do.

Senescence, Sex, Death, and other Fun Stuff.

[PatrickHenry]

Neat site. (Because it seems to agree with me.)

[general_re]

I believe I once heard Desmond Morris (yeah, yeah) theorizing that women live longer because they still have a function in small group/tribal societies - essentially, Grandma can assist with childrearing and childcare, especially while Dad is out hunting and Mom is out gathering. As opposed to Grandpa, who is mostly good for falling asleep in front of the television...

[Ditter]

LOL The cat knew what it was doing. It just didn't like you!

[Aracelis]

because testosterone can suppress the immune system, it is possible that males are less able to protect themselves from a parasite's harmful effects

And a darned shame too, considering all the wonderful things testosterone does! ;-)

[Aracelis]

why women live so long is also a puzzle

Estrogen-seredipity! :-D

[Aracelis]

Er...serendipity. Evidently, estrogen does not prevent typos.