It is a well-documented fact that women still live longer than men. A 1998 study by Harvard Medical School geriatrician Thomas Perls offers two reasons: one is the evolutionary drive to pass on her genes; the other is the need to stay healthy enough to rear as many children as possible. A man’s purpose is simply to carry genes that ensure longevity and pass them on to his children.
Okay, so that's the legacy of our cave-dweller past. But what is it about a man's lifestyle that reduces his longevity? As action moviemakers know all too well, men are supercharged with testosterone. Aside from forcing us to watch frenzied movies like The Matrix Reloaded, the testes-produced hormone also triggers riskier behavior and aggression, and increases levels of harmful cholesterol, raising the risk of heart disease or stroke. Meanwhile, the female hormone chops harmful cholesterol and raises “good” cholesterol.
As Perls’s study points out: “Between ages 15 and 24, men are four to five times more likely to die than women. This time frame coincides with the onset of puberty and an increase in reckless and violent behavior in males. Researchers refer to it as a “testosterone storm”. Most deaths in this male group come from motor vehicle accidents, followed by homicide, suicide...and drowning. ”
While all this jumping from tall buildings may result in some accidental death, it still doesn't account for the onset of fatal illnesses at an earlier age. Statistically, men are crippled more quickly by illnesses like heart disease, stroke and cancer. A Singapore study found that while men were diagnosed with chronic illness two years earlier than women, women were also disabled by their illnesses four years later. Men more often engage in riskier habits like drinking alcohol and using recreational drugs, as well as eating to excess. And the stereotype about men being adverse to seeing a doctor on a regular basis? Studies have shown it's true.
If your goal is to become the first 100-year-old man on your family tree, there are some things you can do to boost your odds. One is to examine what centenarians are doing right. According to the ongoing New England Centenarian Study, the largest comprehensive study of centenarians in the world, they can fend off or even escape age-associated diseases like heart attack, stroke, cancer, diabetes and Alzheimer's. Ninety percent of those studied were functionally independent for the vast majority of their lives up until the age of 92, and 75% were just as autonomous at an average age of 95. “Centenarians disprove the perception that ‘the older you get, the sicker you get.’ Centenarians teach us that the older you get, the healthier you’ve been.”
1. This passage mainly discusses______.
2. According to Thomas Perls, which of the following is a major factor contributing to the relative longevity of women over men?
3. The author mentions “the legacy of our cave-dweller past” to ______.
4. According to the passage, testosterone is a hormone that______.
5. Compared with women, men as a whole______.
