"Did He Die Just Because He's a Man?" Study Reveals Shocking Role of Gender in Mortality Rates

Study of 47,000 by U.S. National Cancer Institute
"Being Male Increases Risk of Death by 63%"

A new study has found that being male may increase the overall risk of death by more than 60% compared to being female.

On January 31, Dr. Sarah Jackson and her team at the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI) published these findings in the journal 'JAMA Network Open' of the American Medical Association. The researchers analyzed data from over 47,000 adults to assess the impact of sex on all-cause mortality and mortality from the top nine causes of death. They found that men had a 63% higher overall risk of death than women.

Men Face Twice the Risk of Death from Heart Disease Compared to Women

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As of 2023, the life expectancy in the United States was 75.8 years for men and 81.8 years for women, but the mortality gap between the sexes has persisted. The top five causes of death among men were heart disease (23%), cancer (20%), accidents (9%), stroke (4%), and chronic respiratory diseases (4%). For women, the leading causes were heart disease (21%), cancer (20%), stroke (6%), Alzheimer's disease (5%), and chronic respiratory diseases (5%).

This study was conducted on 47,056 adults (52% women, 48% men) aged 20 and older who participated in the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) between 1999 and 2016. The research team analyzed the effect of sex on all-cause mortality and mortality from the top nine causes of death, adjusting for demographic characteristics, lifestyle factors, and chronic diseases. By the end of the follow-up period, the mortality rate was 12.9% overall (12.2% for women, 13.6% for men). After adjustment, men were found to have a 63% higher risk of death than women. The top nine causes of death included heart disease, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases, accidents, stroke, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, influenza and pneumonia, and kidney disease.

The most pronounced difference in mortality risk between men and women was seen in heart disease. Men had nearly twice the risk of death from heart disease compared to women, with this trend being particularly notable among white populations. The sex difference in mortality risk from stroke and accidents varied by income level. In high-income groups, there was little or no difference between men and women, and in some cases, men had a lower risk. However, in low-income groups, men were more than twice as likely as women to die from these causes.

Commenting on these findings, the research team stated, "The mortality gap between men and women may be associated with sex-related biological factors such as sex hormones, chromosomes, and immune responses," adding, "Further research is needed to clarify how these biological differences between men and women affect mortality rates."