Popular culture may paint men as the stronger sex, but from the moment a boy is born, his life is more likely than his sister's to be cut short. Across national and cultural boundaries, men die an average of seven years earlier than women; the disparity in the United States is approximately five years. In a new book, Why Men Die First, Marianne Legato, a specialist in gender-specific medicine at Columbia University, explains: They're genetically and biologically fragile to start with, she says, and societal norms that encourage and even demand risky behavior by men put them at risk. Still, Legato told U.S. News, men and their families can push back. She highlighted seven reasons why males die prematurely—and seven actions they can take to prolong their time.
1. Males are burdened with natural genetic deficits.
2. The womb is more treacherous for boys.
3. Males are more likely to have developmental disorders.
4. They're biologically more prone to risky behavior.
5. A "suck-it-up" culture means men often languish with depression.
6. Men choose more dangerous occupations.
7. Coronary artery disease strikes men early.
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