It has long been recognized that, on average, women tend to live longer than men, but researchers now say that they have found at least one of the biological reasons for this difference: The female immune system doesn't degrade as quickly as the male immune system. A weakened immune system can open the door to a host of potentially fatal problems, including cancer and other diseases, because there aren't enough white blood cells to combat infection. In the Japanese study, which focused on 356 men and women ranging in age from 20 to 90, the researchers discovered that while everyone loses white blood cells as they grow older, women might have an advantage due to their sex hormones, which appear to boost the immune system's defense mechanisms.
Live long and prosper:
- According to CIA data from 2017, Monaco boasts the longest average life expectancy, at 89.4 years; Chad has the lowest, at 50.6 years. Life expectancy in the United States is 80 years.
- According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, the four best ways to live longer and healthier are: don't smoke, maintain a good weight, exercise daily, and eat mostly vegetables and fruit.
- If it weren't for injuries or becoming prey, the immortal jellyfish (Turritopsis dohrnii) could essentially live forever; it is able to revert to an earlier stage of life at will.