There are several scientific evidences that say men have a shorter life expectancy in comparison to women. Moreover, a report of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also estimates that women live an average of 5 years longer than men. A new study has perhaps decoded reason behind this disparity.
According to the study, loss of crucial Y chromosomes in blood cells could be responsible for shorter life span and higher mortality from cancer in men.
Four Swedish universities – known as Sciifelab – scientists from Karolinska Institutet, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm University and Uppsala University worked together on the new study.
According to the researchers, there is a correlation between Y chromosome loss and both a shorter life span and higher mortality from cancer in other organs.
Lars Forsberg, a researcher at department of immunology, genetics and pathology at Uppsala University, “Men who had lost the Y chromosome in a large proportion of their blood cells had a lower survival, irrespective of cause of death. We could also detect a correlation between loss of the Y chromosome and risk of cancer mortality.”
For the study, researchers analyzed the DNA in blood samples from a group of more than 1,600 elderly men. During the study, they discovered that the most common genetic alteration was a loss of the Y chromosome in a proportion of the White Blood Cells (WBCs).
The participants were followed for several years and the researchers discovered an association between the loss of the Y chromosome and shorter survival.
“We believe that analyses of the Y chromosome could in the future become a useful general marker to predict the risk for men to develop cancer”, said Jan Dumanski, a professor at Uppsala University.
The study was published in the journal Nature Genetics.
Earlier a study has found similar conclusion about the ‘Y chromosome’, which is responsible for determining the gender of a child. The study has found that it plays a very important role in their survival.
The study was carried by the researchers from the Washington University and Baylor College of Medicine. They had analyzed the genetic composition of Y chromosome and found that the genes is linked together to decrease disease vulnerability.
According to the researchers, the Y chromosome has genes that are manifested by tissues and body organs that play a vital role in understanding the composition of male genome and helps them in improving their survival skills.
