Looks like a woman really does get the last word after all. According to a recent study, researchers have found there is a definite correlation between the loss of a Y chromosome in blood cells and both a shorter life span and higher mortality from cancer in other organs for men.
The study found men who had lost the Y chromosome in a large proportion of their blood cells had a lower survival, irrespective of cause of death.
The study, conducted by the Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, analyzed the DNA in blood samples from over 1,600 elderly men. They found the most common genetic alteration was a loss of the Y chromosome in a proportion of the white blood cells.
"Men who had lost the Y chromosome in a large proportion of their blood cells had a low survival, irrespective of cause of death," said Lars Forsberg, one of the researchers. "We could also detect a correlation between loss of the Y chromosome and risk of cancer mortality."
Researchers are hopeful the findings in the study will help them better understand how to potentially help men at risk for developing cancer.
The news that women are outliving men is not surprising today as women typically live about five to six years longer. By age 85 there are roughly six women to every four men and at age 100 the ratio is more than two to one.
Overall, global life expectancy has risen from 64 in 1990 to 70 in 2010, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). WHO's research added that global life expectancy at birth was 72 years for women and 68 years for men in 2011. A 60-year-old man could expect to live another 19 years and a woman of the same age could count on another 21 years, two years more than in 1990.
The only countries where life expectancy has fallen since 1990 are North Korea, South Africa, Lesotho, Zimbabwe and Libya according to WHO.
The findings in the Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University research were recently published in the journal Nature Genetics.
