The average Pole lives 8 years shorter than a Pole. This tendency continues throughout the human population. There is also scientific evidence that males are shorter lives than females in all species.

The fact thatmanwill live for a shorter period of time is known before his birth. The problem begins in utero. In all mammals (and we belong to them), each chromosome that stores important genetic information appears in two copies.

Gender-related genes favor women. It has a double X chromosome, which increases the chances of repairing defects. A man with single X and Y chromosomes is at a disadvantage.

If there is a defect in one of the chromosomes, the body can use a backup database. But that's not the case with sex chromosomes. In women, the X chromosome has a copy, and men have only one X chromosome and one Y chromosome. The Y chromosome contains only a few dozen genes that are responsible for the development of the male organism. There are over a thousand genes on the X chromosome, where important information is stored, but not directly related to sexual development. So men only have one copy of all the data. If there are any defects in the genes, the body has no place to retrieve the correct information. Thus, the risk of various defects is much higher in men than in women.

Testosterone: men's strength and weakness

According to some scholars, with a shorter life, men pay for continued sexual performance and almost endless reproductive performance. They also claim that testosterone - the male sex hormone - is to blame for this state of affairs. During the so-called in young adulthood (15-24 years of age), this hormone is also responsible for a large number of deaths, as it provokes self-destructive behavior. Young men are more likely to die in road accidents than women, they are victims of murder.

Medical statistics show that men have a 4 to 5 times higher mortality rate from drug and alcohol abuse.

Gentlemen are also mentally weaker. Depression that they often do not know how to admit and do not want to treat is sometimes masked by dangerous behavior. It often ends in suicide.

But testosterone isn't just about risk-taking. Its high level maybe( although this is not always the case) intensify the destructive effects of stress and raise the level of bad cholesterol in the blood, thus increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke. And one more male weakness - the immune system. He is more prone to infection, but less prone to initiate defensive responses.

Men's heart-threatening diet

It is widely believed that men are at higher risk of cardiovascular disease. The reason is a worse lipid profile associated with a fatty and not very diversified diet and reluctance to spend free time actively.

Overall, however, the number of deaths from heart disease is declining. The statistics that are unfavorable for men are due to the fact that they die from ischemic heart disease 2 times more often than women. But doctors emphasize that this is often due to less care for he alth. Men are reluctant to get checkups, do not follow medical recommendations, and sometimes stop treatment when they feel better.

Reluctance to research harms men's he alth

Another reason why men live shorter is cancer. And while the number of deaths attributable to lung cancer has declined in recent years, the death rate from colorectal cancer has increased.

Since the end of the 1970s, an increase in the incidence of this cancer by approx. 3.5% has been observed. among men and nearly 2.5 percent. among women. The number of new cases (data from 2011) amounted to 14.6 thousand, of which 8 thousand. were men, and 6.6 thous. women. Men develop colorectal cancer about 10 years earlier than women and consult a doctor with a more advanced cancer.

Some specialists say that the basis of such neglect is the shyness of men who are reluctant to report for specialist examinations, e.g. colonoscopy or prostate examination.

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Male diseases