Scientists are closing in on an answer to a question that has long perplexed health experts: Why do women live, on average, longer than men?
New research out of Monash University, published in the journal Current Biology, has determined gender-specific mutations in DNA may account for differences in the life expectancy of males and females.
The study, led by Dr. Damian Dowling, uncovered numerous mutations in mitochondrial DNA – cellular fuel cells in all animals that convert food to energy that powers the body – that affect how long male fruit flies live, and the speed at which they age. The mutations had no effect on aging in females, Dowling’s team found.
"All animals possess mitochondria, and the tendency for females to outlive males is common to many different species,” he added. “Our results therefore suggest that the mitochondrial mutations we have uncovered will generally cause faster male ageing across the animal kingdom."
The researchers attributed the mutations to a quirk in the way that mitochondrial genes are passed down from parents to offspring.