1 00:00:00,320 --> 00:00:03,000 Speaker 1: Brought to you by the reinvented two thousand twelve Camray. 2 00:00:03,240 --> 00:00:10,000 Speaker 1: It's ready. Are you welcome to stop? Mom never told you? 3 00:00:10,200 --> 00:00:18,360 Speaker 1: From House to works dot com. Hey, welcome to the podcast. 4 00:00:18,400 --> 00:00:21,319 Speaker 1: This is Molly. I'm Kristen and Kristen you know me. 5 00:00:21,400 --> 00:00:25,400 Speaker 1: I'm always looking for fun factoys about women, always any 6 00:00:25,440 --> 00:00:27,600 Speaker 1: type of women. And I was reading an article on 7 00:00:27,600 --> 00:00:30,840 Speaker 1: our site called do short People Live Longer? Written by 8 00:00:30,880 --> 00:00:36,000 Speaker 1: one Jessica Toothman, And this article contains the factoid that's 9 00:00:36,479 --> 00:00:40,199 Speaker 1: attributed to the World Health Organization that Japanese women have 10 00:00:40,360 --> 00:00:44,800 Speaker 1: the longest average lifespans worldwide, coming into eighties six years. Wow. 11 00:00:45,159 --> 00:00:47,440 Speaker 1: And I just was baffled by that, like, why should 12 00:00:47,520 --> 00:00:51,120 Speaker 1: Japanese women live any longer uh than other women? And 13 00:00:51,159 --> 00:00:53,880 Speaker 1: why are they living longer than men? And so I 14 00:00:53,920 --> 00:00:56,720 Speaker 1: read this article and I learned about this gene, the 15 00:00:56,760 --> 00:01:01,920 Speaker 1: methuselah jean that might help short people live longer, because 16 00:01:01,960 --> 00:01:05,240 Speaker 1: those Japanese women were pretty sure their average height if 17 00:01:05,280 --> 00:01:08,720 Speaker 1: I remember it correctly, with something like four eight inches. 18 00:01:09,600 --> 00:01:13,679 Speaker 1: You are correct, Kristen pretty short. Uh. So the thinking 19 00:01:13,760 --> 00:01:17,920 Speaker 1: is that this methuselah gene, which basically, if you have 20 00:01:18,120 --> 00:01:22,160 Speaker 1: it it makes you age and it makes you taller. 21 00:01:22,360 --> 00:01:24,920 Speaker 1: And the thinking is that short people have something in 22 00:01:24,959 --> 00:01:28,319 Speaker 1: their body that represses the gene which keeps them short 23 00:01:28,560 --> 00:01:33,160 Speaker 1: and not aging, thus enabling them to have really long lifespans. 24 00:01:33,600 --> 00:01:37,559 Speaker 1: Right and uh, women in general have longer lifespans anyway, 25 00:01:37,600 --> 00:01:40,640 Speaker 1: so it's not that surprising that the Japanese women they 26 00:01:40,720 --> 00:01:42,920 Speaker 1: got that, they got the double whammy, their wind and 27 00:01:42,959 --> 00:01:45,200 Speaker 1: they got they got the shorts. Yeah, but even those 28 00:01:45,240 --> 00:01:47,680 Speaker 1: of us who might be taller than four ft eight 29 00:01:47,720 --> 00:01:50,200 Speaker 1: of which christ and I both count ourselves in that category, 30 00:01:50,360 --> 00:01:54,320 Speaker 1: got a foot taller than that, Even those who aren't short. Uh, 31 00:01:54,440 --> 00:01:59,080 Speaker 1: women have a really good advantage over over our male counterparts, 32 00:01:59,320 --> 00:02:03,640 Speaker 1: especially in industrialized countries. There is a definite gender gap, 33 00:02:03,800 --> 00:02:09,200 Speaker 1: if you will, between lifespans. According to the Old Centers 34 00:02:09,240 --> 00:02:12,600 Speaker 1: for Disease Control, the female life expectancy at birth of 35 00:02:12,639 --> 00:02:16,160 Speaker 1: American women is eighty point four and for men it's 36 00:02:16,160 --> 00:02:18,880 Speaker 1: only seventy five point two. So the ladies, we got 37 00:02:18,919 --> 00:02:23,160 Speaker 1: five years to live it up or to get Alzheimer's 38 00:02:23,320 --> 00:02:26,400 Speaker 1: um But anyway, why why is this? Because the it 39 00:02:26,520 --> 00:02:30,280 Speaker 1: kicks in right from birth. The rate of infant deaths 40 00:02:30,320 --> 00:02:33,079 Speaker 1: for males is much higher than females, right, I think 41 00:02:33,080 --> 00:02:38,840 Speaker 1: it's higher, which is pretty big. So, of course, anything 42 00:02:38,880 --> 00:02:41,320 Speaker 1: to do with aging, researchers want to figure it out. 43 00:02:41,320 --> 00:02:44,840 Speaker 1: They want to find out why people love patterns. Researchers 44 00:02:44,840 --> 00:02:46,760 Speaker 1: want to figure out these aging patterns, right, because if 45 00:02:46,760 --> 00:02:49,160 Speaker 1: they can unlock the code to to why women live 46 00:02:49,200 --> 00:02:51,160 Speaker 1: longer than maybe they can figure out a way for 47 00:02:51,960 --> 00:02:55,280 Speaker 1: everyone to live longer. Because I believe your lifespan is 48 00:02:55,320 --> 00:03:00,280 Speaker 1: determined about thirty percent by genetics and seventy by the vier. 49 00:03:01,160 --> 00:03:03,480 Speaker 1: And so christ and I've been researching, and we find 50 00:03:03,520 --> 00:03:06,480 Speaker 1: that on both counts, behavior and genetics, women seem to 51 00:03:06,520 --> 00:03:09,840 Speaker 1: have the upper hand. You want to talk about behavior first, 52 00:03:09,919 --> 00:03:12,480 Speaker 1: all right, Millly, so let's start. Let's start the heart 53 00:03:12,639 --> 00:03:17,639 Speaker 1: of the matter. Christian like this joke. Basically, uh. Research 54 00:03:17,800 --> 00:03:22,760 Speaker 1: has found that women, by and large have better cardiovascular 55 00:03:22,840 --> 00:03:26,680 Speaker 1: health than men. According to an article that we tracked 56 00:03:26,720 --> 00:03:31,320 Speaker 1: down in Time magazine, women develop cardiovascular diseases like heart 57 00:03:31,360 --> 00:03:34,880 Speaker 1: attack and stroke usually in their seventies and eighties, which 58 00:03:34,920 --> 00:03:38,000 Speaker 1: is about ten years later than men who are developing 59 00:03:38,040 --> 00:03:41,840 Speaker 1: them in their fifties and sixties. So already women have 60 00:03:42,080 --> 00:03:45,720 Speaker 1: later onset of these chronic diseases, which has given us 61 00:03:45,720 --> 00:03:48,320 Speaker 1: a leg up. Yeah, and we actually mentioned this phenomenon 62 00:03:48,400 --> 00:03:50,680 Speaker 1: in our podcast about um whether you need to have 63 00:03:50,720 --> 00:03:53,080 Speaker 1: a monthly period, because one of the thinkings as to 64 00:03:53,160 --> 00:03:57,080 Speaker 1: why women don't develop these conditions until later is the 65 00:03:57,120 --> 00:04:01,440 Speaker 1: fact that their men straating because with each delightful menstruation, 66 00:04:01,560 --> 00:04:04,360 Speaker 1: you're releasing iron from your body, and the iron can 67 00:04:04,400 --> 00:04:08,080 Speaker 1: play a role in this onset of cardiovascular disease and 68 00:04:08,120 --> 00:04:10,600 Speaker 1: also maybe just aging on a grander scheme. You know, 69 00:04:10,640 --> 00:04:12,800 Speaker 1: a lot of people think that aging is due to 70 00:04:12,840 --> 00:04:17,320 Speaker 1: free radicals in your cells, essentially destroying yourselves. And there's 71 00:04:17,360 --> 00:04:20,240 Speaker 1: this thinking that iron might produce free radical so I 72 00:04:20,240 --> 00:04:22,080 Speaker 1: when they're getting rid of the iron in their bodies, 73 00:04:22,080 --> 00:04:25,440 Speaker 1: they're basically never giving these free radicals a chance to form, 74 00:04:25,520 --> 00:04:29,719 Speaker 1: which may keep their cells and by extension, themselves safer 75 00:04:29,760 --> 00:04:33,279 Speaker 1: for longer. Right. And there's another theory out there speaking 76 00:04:33,360 --> 00:04:39,440 Speaker 1: of periods, that estrogen is actually better for better for 77 00:04:39,480 --> 00:04:43,360 Speaker 1: your heart than testosterone, and women obviously have more estrogen 78 00:04:43,560 --> 00:04:46,440 Speaker 1: than men do, and they're sort of From my research, 79 00:04:46,560 --> 00:04:49,320 Speaker 1: it seemed like the thinking on that has shifted in 80 00:04:49,440 --> 00:04:51,560 Speaker 1: recent years, but there does seem to be some kind 81 00:04:51,560 --> 00:04:56,640 Speaker 1: of connection between estrogen and lowered risks of heart diseases. Yeah, 82 00:04:56,680 --> 00:04:58,560 Speaker 1: you're right. Estrogen sort of a mixed bad when you 83 00:04:58,560 --> 00:05:01,680 Speaker 1: come to researching if it helps you live longer, But 84 00:05:01,760 --> 00:05:04,760 Speaker 1: you can't deny that testosterone is bad in terms of 85 00:05:04,800 --> 00:05:07,479 Speaker 1: living longer. Right that One of the my favorite phrases 86 00:05:07,480 --> 00:05:09,760 Speaker 1: that I came across in in the research for this 87 00:05:09,800 --> 00:05:14,080 Speaker 1: podcast was something called a testosterone storm. And I want 88 00:05:14,120 --> 00:05:15,839 Speaker 1: to start accusing men of being in the midst of 89 00:05:15,839 --> 00:05:18,520 Speaker 1: their testosterone storm. We'll watch out for Johnny is in 90 00:05:18,600 --> 00:05:22,000 Speaker 1: the testosterone storm. Why don't you tell people like this 91 00:05:22,080 --> 00:05:25,800 Speaker 1: is before we keep making jokes to entertain ourselves with it. Okay, Basically, 92 00:05:25,800 --> 00:05:30,960 Speaker 1: a testosterone storm happens, uh and during male puberty when 93 00:05:32,000 --> 00:05:35,920 Speaker 1: a storm of testosterone rains down upon their bodies, and 94 00:05:36,040 --> 00:05:40,680 Speaker 1: they therefore engage in all sorts of risky behaviors like 95 00:05:41,120 --> 00:05:46,880 Speaker 1: fast car driving and rock climbing without harnesses on and 96 00:05:47,360 --> 00:05:50,920 Speaker 1: beaten up people and drinking way too much alcohol when 97 00:05:50,920 --> 00:05:54,599 Speaker 1: their rebels without a cause. They're having their testosterone storm. 98 00:05:55,000 --> 00:05:57,680 Speaker 1: And some you know, some evolutionary biologists have said that 99 00:05:57,760 --> 00:05:59,800 Speaker 1: this is all for the ladies benefit, that they had 100 00:05:59,800 --> 00:06:03,120 Speaker 1: tried act the women by living these hard and dangerous 101 00:06:03,200 --> 00:06:07,000 Speaker 1: lives as their power um. But as a result, they 102 00:06:07,000 --> 00:06:10,880 Speaker 1: may die from their exploits. A statistic that I ran 103 00:06:10,920 --> 00:06:14,240 Speaker 1: across in Scientific American to to back up these kind 104 00:06:14,279 --> 00:06:20,039 Speaker 1: of silly testosterone storm stories where tossing out here. From 105 00:06:20,120 --> 00:06:23,560 Speaker 1: between fifteen and twenty four years old, the female to 106 00:06:23,720 --> 00:06:28,400 Speaker 1: male mortality ratio peaks. Because of the sudden surge in 107 00:06:28,520 --> 00:06:31,880 Speaker 1: death during that time, men are three times more likely 108 00:06:32,000 --> 00:06:34,279 Speaker 1: to die than women. So right after that we've got 109 00:06:34,880 --> 00:06:39,640 Speaker 1: as babies. Males are more likely to die in females. 110 00:06:39,839 --> 00:06:43,720 Speaker 1: And then once they hit their testosterone, they get hit 111 00:06:43,839 --> 00:06:46,240 Speaker 1: once again by being three times more likely to die 112 00:06:46,360 --> 00:06:50,160 Speaker 1: from their testoster and induced reckless behavior. And then if 113 00:06:50,160 --> 00:06:52,040 Speaker 1: they make it through that, men are more likely than 114 00:06:52,080 --> 00:06:55,800 Speaker 1: women to smoke um. And there's also evidence that they 115 00:06:55,800 --> 00:06:57,880 Speaker 1: have a hard time dealing with their stress. You know, 116 00:06:57,960 --> 00:07:00,719 Speaker 1: women like to talk out their stress and ahlps release it, 117 00:07:00,760 --> 00:07:03,679 Speaker 1: whereas they you know, you know, they might seem questionable, 118 00:07:03,720 --> 00:07:05,120 Speaker 1: but there are studies that men don't know what to 119 00:07:05,160 --> 00:07:07,520 Speaker 1: do with it and as a result, they either released 120 00:07:07,520 --> 00:07:09,520 Speaker 1: in a damaging way, they never let it go and 121 00:07:09,520 --> 00:07:12,440 Speaker 1: it eats them up and kills them and they might 122 00:07:12,480 --> 00:07:15,600 Speaker 1: eat foods high and cholesterol. Do you really picture a 123 00:07:15,680 --> 00:07:18,520 Speaker 1: lady sitting down having like a huge, hunking piece of 124 00:07:18,960 --> 00:07:21,160 Speaker 1: steak as often as you picture and Mail doing it. 125 00:07:21,200 --> 00:07:24,360 Speaker 1: That's going to raise the cholesterol level. Yeah, but that 126 00:07:24,600 --> 00:07:26,920 Speaker 1: steak tastes good. I would love a steak right now. 127 00:07:27,120 --> 00:07:31,520 Speaker 1: That's all behavioral. So we're talking about all these behaviors 128 00:07:31,560 --> 00:07:34,760 Speaker 1: that could be contributing to two women living longer. But 129 00:07:34,840 --> 00:07:38,960 Speaker 1: there's also a genetic component, potential genetic component to all 130 00:07:39,000 --> 00:07:41,840 Speaker 1: of this right down at the chromosome or level. The 131 00:07:41,840 --> 00:07:44,400 Speaker 1: fact that women have two xes and men just have 132 00:07:44,520 --> 00:07:49,520 Speaker 1: one could put us at a greater advantage for living longer. Right, Yeah, 133 00:07:49,600 --> 00:07:51,520 Speaker 1: it all comes down to our fortunate lot in life 134 00:07:51,520 --> 00:07:54,440 Speaker 1: to have two X chromosomes because we essentially have a 135 00:07:54,480 --> 00:07:59,080 Speaker 1: backup parachute their cells that live on either an X 136 00:07:59,160 --> 00:08:03,120 Speaker 1: chromosome or I chromosome. And if in a woman a 137 00:08:03,280 --> 00:08:06,360 Speaker 1: damaged or mutated cell that eventually might cause a disease 138 00:08:06,400 --> 00:08:08,800 Speaker 1: that shortens your life or something like that, if that 139 00:08:08,920 --> 00:08:12,160 Speaker 1: lands on a woman's X chromosome, she has a backup 140 00:08:13,120 --> 00:08:17,400 Speaker 1: X with the same cells, uh to keep her safe. Okay, 141 00:08:17,440 --> 00:08:19,720 Speaker 1: the mutated won will become less strong in the face 142 00:08:19,880 --> 00:08:23,480 Speaker 1: of the perfectly healthy one, whereas in the man you've 143 00:08:23,480 --> 00:08:25,880 Speaker 1: got the X y they have no backup parachute if 144 00:08:25,880 --> 00:08:29,200 Speaker 1: something goes wrong with the X chromosome cells. And so 145 00:08:29,320 --> 00:08:32,800 Speaker 1: thus by just how we were born, we might live longer. 146 00:08:32,880 --> 00:08:35,880 Speaker 1: It's a theory. It may not be correct, but it's 147 00:08:35,880 --> 00:08:38,840 Speaker 1: a theory, right. And there's also thinking out there um 148 00:08:39,720 --> 00:08:44,800 Speaker 1: that the advances that women have enjoyed in general, in 149 00:08:45,000 --> 00:08:50,640 Speaker 1: combination with the rise in better and safer healthcare and technology, 150 00:08:50,760 --> 00:08:53,760 Speaker 1: has really widened this, uh, this life span gap. Because 151 00:08:53,760 --> 00:08:55,680 Speaker 1: the interesting thing was, I think I saw this in 152 00:08:56,080 --> 00:09:00,400 Speaker 1: Scientific American article. This this gap between women male and 153 00:09:00,440 --> 00:09:02,640 Speaker 1: female lifespans has been going back, I mean even in 154 00:09:02,760 --> 00:09:06,960 Speaker 1: nineteen hundred, when things like childbirth were so dangerous for 155 00:09:07,040 --> 00:09:09,959 Speaker 1: a woman. Even back then we were still living Wenger. 156 00:09:10,040 --> 00:09:12,679 Speaker 1: So that seems like something like that that chromosome or 157 00:09:12,720 --> 00:09:15,560 Speaker 1: theory you were just talking about mighta might have some 158 00:09:15,600 --> 00:09:18,240 Speaker 1: stock to it. But then as this gap has widened, 159 00:09:18,559 --> 00:09:25,319 Speaker 1: we can think much safer childcare and childbirth um practices 160 00:09:25,480 --> 00:09:28,720 Speaker 1: that are keeping us doubly safe. Right, And some you know, 161 00:09:29,000 --> 00:09:31,520 Speaker 1: some researchers might even think that women are more responsive 162 00:09:31,600 --> 00:09:35,840 Speaker 1: to health advances like that. Obviously, you know maternal mortality 163 00:09:35,840 --> 00:09:38,440 Speaker 1: affects them directly, but women might be more likely to 164 00:09:38,480 --> 00:09:41,320 Speaker 1: research and act and follow up on something that is 165 00:09:41,360 --> 00:09:43,920 Speaker 1: likely to save their lives because if you think about it, 166 00:09:44,280 --> 00:09:47,440 Speaker 1: women are always trained to be young, beautiful, and healthy, 167 00:09:47,480 --> 00:09:50,840 Speaker 1: whereas men are driven to be these storms of testosterone 168 00:09:51,320 --> 00:09:53,480 Speaker 1: and so according to some source, according to some sources, 169 00:09:53,520 --> 00:09:57,600 Speaker 1: But that's the thinking evolutionary wise, that maybe these men 170 00:09:57,920 --> 00:10:01,720 Speaker 1: aren't as driven to follow up on potential life saving 171 00:10:01,920 --> 00:10:04,400 Speaker 1: advances right where we just naturally take care of our 172 00:10:04,400 --> 00:10:06,600 Speaker 1: our bodies a little bit a little bit better. But 173 00:10:06,640 --> 00:10:09,480 Speaker 1: the interesting thing is if you go into uh, less 174 00:10:09,520 --> 00:10:13,319 Speaker 1: developed countries, in more rural areas, that gap starts to 175 00:10:13,360 --> 00:10:15,880 Speaker 1: close because there aren't as many resources and options out 176 00:10:15,920 --> 00:10:18,559 Speaker 1: there for women to take advantage of and take care 177 00:10:18,600 --> 00:10:20,360 Speaker 1: of their bodies more so you have more of a 178 00:10:20,520 --> 00:10:22,440 Speaker 1: maybe a two year gap. The gaps still exist, but 179 00:10:22,520 --> 00:10:26,520 Speaker 1: it's maybe down two months rather than years, so it 180 00:10:26,600 --> 00:10:29,440 Speaker 1: really covered the span today, Kristen, of all these possible 181 00:10:29,480 --> 00:10:33,000 Speaker 1: reasons why women might live longer than men, as you 182 00:10:33,040 --> 00:10:35,920 Speaker 1: mentioned at the beginning, genetics about thirty of the things. 183 00:10:35,960 --> 00:10:38,440 Speaker 1: So even you know a male who's got a grandma, 184 00:10:38,480 --> 00:10:40,559 Speaker 1: grandpa who lived to be a hunter, and ten. It's 185 00:10:40,559 --> 00:10:43,000 Speaker 1: going to be an advantage probably probably than a woman 186 00:10:43,080 --> 00:10:46,240 Speaker 1: who doesn't write. There's always gonna be exceptions to the rule. 187 00:10:46,280 --> 00:10:48,599 Speaker 1: We're not proclaiming that every single female out there is 188 00:10:48,600 --> 00:10:50,920 Speaker 1: going to live longer than males, but here are some 189 00:10:50,920 --> 00:10:53,640 Speaker 1: possible reasons why they might. Stats are on our side, ladies, 190 00:10:53,920 --> 00:10:55,920 Speaker 1: but you know it's still in your hands. Don't smoke, 191 00:10:56,120 --> 00:10:59,560 Speaker 1: where seatbelts, don't get caught in your testosterone storm. Yeah, 192 00:10:59,720 --> 00:11:01,560 Speaker 1: but you would like to get caught in a storm 193 00:11:01,600 --> 00:11:05,920 Speaker 1: of information and factoids. You should head over to how 194 00:11:06,000 --> 00:11:09,280 Speaker 1: stuff works dot com and read the article do short 195 00:11:09,360 --> 00:11:13,240 Speaker 1: people Live Longer? By Jessica Chothman, And we have plenty 196 00:11:13,240 --> 00:11:18,480 Speaker 1: of other fascinating information about men and women and aging 197 00:11:18,559 --> 00:11:21,480 Speaker 1: and how to live a healthy, happy and long life. 198 00:11:22,480 --> 00:11:24,840 Speaker 1: And while you're there, you should head over to how 199 00:11:24,960 --> 00:11:28,800 Speaker 1: to Stuff, which is mind Molly's blog where we can 200 00:11:28,840 --> 00:11:32,640 Speaker 1: tell you how to do stuff and if you have 201 00:11:32,800 --> 00:11:39,400 Speaker 1: any questions, comments, or just like to tell you story anecdotes, photos, 202 00:11:39,440 --> 00:11:42,040 Speaker 1: We like it all. You should email me and Molly 203 00:11:42,200 --> 00:11:47,959 Speaker 1: at mom stuff at how stuff works dot com for 204 00:11:48,120 --> 00:11:50,400 Speaker 1: more on this and thousands of other topics. Does it 205 00:11:50,480 --> 00:11:54,600 Speaker 1: How stuff works dot Com. Want more how stuff works, 206 00:11:54,880 --> 00:11:57,079 Speaker 1: check out our blogs on the house stuff works dot 207 00:11:57,080 --> 00:12:03,960 Speaker 1: Com home page. Yeah, brought to you by the reinvented 208 00:12:04,000 --> 00:12:06,640 Speaker 1: two thousand twelve Camry. It's ready, are you