Why Women Outlive Men – Closing the Gender Longevity Gap

In a study featured in GQ, researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and UC San Francisco took a closer look at the widening longevity gap, identifying potential reasons for why women consistently outlive men. “The biggies: cardiovascular disease, cancer, opioid use and suicide… and COVID didn’t help matters either,” explains GQ, but there is good news: each major cause of untimely death in men is preventable.

Mental health charities and doctors alike warn that men tend to be reactive rather than proactive when it comes to health, leading to poor outcomes and delays in diagnosis. By talking to loved ones about what they’re feeling, heading to the GP as soon as something goes amiss, and prioritising holistic health before anything is ‘wrong’, men can increase their lifespan (and healthspan) by years or decades.

We’ve made holistic health easy with what GQ describes as a “minimum-effort-maximum-reward solution.” Our clinically trialled, award-winning Morning & Night supplement is the UK’s original and bestselling dual-dose longevity formula, designed to support whole body health as you navigate your 30s, 40s, 50s and beyond.

According to the CDC, heart disease is the number one cause of death in the US – claiming millions of lives each year. One of the co-authors of the Harvard longevity study, Alan Charles Geller, MPH, RN, explains, “I was shocked to see that the risk for cardiovascular disease is 80% higher for men than for women,” due to factors like vaping, obesity and higher ultra-processed food (UPF) intake.

The keyword here is choice – many factors that increase a person’s risk for developing heart disease are within their control. Vaping, while purported to be better than smoking, is still damaging to the cardiovascular system – and while obesity is a complex issue, the right combination of mental health support, dietary changes and exercise can help him shed excess weight.

Don’t know where to begin? The ingredients in Morning & Night are designed to support a healthy lifestyle and promote longevity with a complex blend of 28 Vitamins, Minerals, Amino Acids, Adaptogens and Omega 3s – antioxidants like Co-enzyme Q-10 boost heart health, and B Vitamins and Magnesium support a healthy metabolism.

In a recent BBC article, Paul Galdas, professor of men’s health at the University of York, explains, “men are less likely to attend routine appointments and more likely to delay help-seeking until symptoms interfere with daily function,” leading to poorer health outcomes and higher mortality rates when compared with women. This is particularly true in the case of melanoma, the most deadly type of skin cancer – while melanoma diagnoses in the UK have a near 50/50 gender split, Geller says, “Two out of every three melanoma deaths are in men. This is so fascinating because it is more due to behaviour than biology.”

Moral of the story: don’t wait to get that ‘weird mole’ examined, and build regular GP check-ins into your routine, on an annual basis (or more often, if you sense that anything has gone awry).

Mental health charities, MANUP and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), are on a mission to get men talking about their mental health. Christine Yu Moutier, MD, the Chief Medical Officer at the AFSP, says that suicide and drug use are big contributors to the gender longevity gap. The GQ article in which Dr Moutier was quoted explains, “Men are more likely to feel an external pressure to appear strong, not to talk to their friends as much about how they’re doing, and are less likely to see a therapist than women. Women are also more likely to take medication for their mental health than men.”

Thanks to increased awareness, younger generations of men and boys are getting better at talking through their emotions – but addiction expert and licensed clinical psychologist Kevin Gilliland, PsyD, explains “while millennial and younger generations of men are getting better about talking about their mental health, it’s still not happening at the level that it should.” Experts agree men should make a habit of talking to their loved ones, calling a helpline or reaching out to mental health professionals when challenging feelings arise. Beyond this, healthy hobbies like Padel or yoga, balanced meals rich in Omega 3s and mood balancing supplements can help – Morning & Night is designed to support mental and physical health on a cellular level. In our independent clinical trial, 84% reported that they had improved emotional balance and a more positive outlook on life with the support of Morning & Night.

Morning & Night is the UK’s original and bestselling dual-dose longevity formula. With a biologist-developed blend of 28 nutrients, Morning & Night works behind the scenes to tackle the nine known causes of aging – noticeably improving how you look and feel as you navigate each new decade.