Why Men Die Younger

“A man’s life, a miserable life: men get sick sooner and die sooner.” This grim picture was painted by the organizers of the first World Congress on Men’s Health, held in Vienna, Austria. They were alarmed, reports the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung, by the fact that men die, on average, five years earlier than women.

Why do men die younger? For one thing, they are more likely to smoke or drink excessively. Overeating and lack of exercise are other major risk factors—70 percent of middle-aged men are said to be overweight. Moreover, many suffer from the stress of trying to balance work and family. And men are less likely to go to a doctor when they are sick or to seek preventive health care. Summing it up, Siegfried Meryn, one of the congress organizers, said: “Medically, men are indeed worse off.”

Posted in: Health