Dr Zac Turner reveals why women live longer than men

This week, Dr. Zac Turner examines why women live longer than men.

Question: I heard you on the radio the other day discussing that Men’s Health Week. It made me think about my own health and what to watch out for. Many of my concerns were put to bed but one went unanswered: Why do women live longer than men? – André, 28, Sydney

Reply: Hi Andrew, thanks for your great question, and also philosophical. At first glance, this conundrum seems complex, with dozens of mitigating factors and a multitude of genetic predispositions to consider.

And this perspective would be very true, however, my main rule of thumb for writing these columns is: make it simple, stupid. So, rather than listing a barrage of medical jargon, I’m going to synthesize the answer into a simple statement.

The reason women live longer than men is because they are more honest with their doctors.

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According to statistics from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, a boy born in 2016-2018 can expect to live to be 80.7 years old and a girl is expected to live to 84.9 years old. In addition to the fact that women are more likely to see a doctor than men, and when they do, they are more likely to be honest about their health concerns – the answer to your question becomes glaring.

This is the big problem with men’s health and their doctor’s visits: they hide. Men are conditioned to shy away from vulnerability, their strength and health dictate their masculinity. A third of Australian men (37%) withhold information from their doctor. One study even found that 72% of men would rather do household chores, like cleaning the toilet, than go to the doctor.

This leads men to ignore health issues for longer as I said in the radio interview you heard such as waistline growth, skin spots and scarring which can all lead to serious problems. health problems.

From the age of 18, men should have regular check-ups with their doctor for blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol and cancer.

There are definitely three common health issues that a man will hide from his doctor, and I’ll explain them to you.

1. Erectile dysfunction

He’s become the modern day boogey man for all sexually active men. It terrifies them and they lose sleep over it. The stigma surrounding male performance in bed has led many men to fear any kind of discussion with their doctor about erectile dysfunction.

As I said before in my previous column on Viagra, erectile dysfunction It is when the nerves in your penis do not communicate properly with your brain during arousal. It is most often caused by factors such as blood pressure, stress, anxiety, and diet, which are common to everyone and are not surprisingly.

The first thing to know about the disease is that every sexually active man will suffer from erectile dysfunction at some point in his life. A lot of things will cause erectile dysfunction and unless you visit your doctor to discuss what it might be, you will never be able to treat it.

Your doctor will work closely with you to determine the severity of your erectile dysfunction and whether it is caused by a specific health problem, and guide you through various treatment plans. Now there are companies, like mine, Concierge Doctors, that offer discreet virtual appointments to discuss treatments.

2. Hair loss

Men often hide the fact that they are losing their hair, using either hats or hairpieces. Male pattern baldness, also called androgenic alopecia, is the most common type of hair loss in men. According to American studies, it affects nearly 50 percent of all men over the age of fifty.

Losing your hair can sometimes be a sign of a more serious illness, and if you never check back, you’ll never know until it’s too late. We know that some men are genetically predisposed to hair loss, and others lack hormones called androgens, which are responsible for regulating hair growth.

3. Prostate cancer

It is the most serious of the three that men hide from their doctors. It is the main cancer in Australian men. Much of the reason men hide prostate problems has to do with the fact that the test involves the doctor examining the prostate through the anus.

The prostate is a walnut-sized gland located just below the bladder and above the rectum. Prostate cancer is the growth of abnormal cells on the gland. Science has still not determined the cause or even found clear prevention strategies.

The danger is that there are hardly any warning signs, the only way to find out is to do a prostate exam. When men have symptoms of advanced prostate cancer, such as blood in their urine and pelvic pain, it is almost always too late. That is why it is so important to test it regularly.

I recommend you to visit the Men’s Health Week website and read and watch the fantastic material they have. To help you improve your education, check if there is going to be a community event in your area, you will meet men with different levels of experience who may be able to teach you a thing or two.

Dr Zac Turner holds a Bachelor of Medicine and a Bachelor of Surgery from the University of Sydney. He is both a physician and co-owner of the Concierge Doctors telehealth service. He is also a qualified and experienced biomedical scientist, former registered nurse and currently a doctoral candidate in biomedical engineering. | @drzaturner