Study reveals women are surpassing men in life expectancy

New research has revealed that the gap in life expectancy between men and women has widened in recent years. According to a study conducted by researchers from UC San Francisco and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, men are now expected to die six years earlier than women.

The study, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, found that the difference in life expectancy between men and women in the US reached 5.8 years in 2021. This is the highest it has been since 1996. In 2010, the gap was 4.8 years, making it the smallest in recent years.

Experts attribute this trend to various factors, including the impact of the pandemic. The opioid epidemic, accidents, and suicide are also contributing factors. Brandon Yan, MD, a UCSF internal medicine resident physician and research collaborator at Harvard Chan School, highlighted the need for further analysis into the widening gap since 2010.

In addition to the gender gap, overall life expectancy in the US has also seen a decline. In 2019, the average life expectancy was 78.8 years, which dropped to 77 years in 2020 and further decreased to 76.1 years in 2021.

Yan noted that while death rates from drug overdose and homicide have increased for both sexes, men are disproportionately affected. Unintentional injuries, diabetes, suicide, homicide, and heart disease were identified as the leading causes of premature death before the pandemic. However, during the Covid-19 pandemic, men were more likely to die from the virus.

These findings have raised concerns about the need for specialized care for men, particularly in mental health. Yan emphasized the importance of developing interventions to address the growing disparity in life expectancy.

“We have brought insights to a worrisome trend,” said Yan. “Future research should focus on public health interventions to help reverse this decline in life expectancy.”