Studies show that women live longer than men; why?

Why some people live for 100 years or more, and do so with gusto while others don't, is unknown to many.  When someone reaches this mile-stone, it definitely is an achievement worthy of recognition and celebration. And so, Charles Mugane Njonjo the once former powerful Attorney General commonly also known as ‘The Duke of Kabeteshere’ basked in glory as he marked 100th birthday last week.

Njonjo who is the only surviving member of the country’s first independence Cabinet, was born on January 23, 1920 in Kiambu.

While acknowledging that living to see his 100 birthday was no mean feat, Njonjo thanked his family who he termed as his greatest blessing and treasure.

Bearing in mind that not many people in the world reach 100-year-old mark, attaining that age is not a small thing, and is considered a great blessing to those lucky enough to get there.

Studies have indicated that women generally live longer than men in the world today, with varying factors attributing to this.

A World Health Organisation (WHO) report on Female Life Expectancy, notes that women live longer than men by six to eight years on average.

The report says the difference is partly due to an inherent biological advantage for the female, but it also reflects behavioural differences between the two sexes.

It, however, notes that life expectancy for women varies across regions and income levels of countries - life expectancy for women is more than 80 years in at least 35 countries.

WHO indicates that in Africa,new-born girls are more likely to survive to their first birthday than new-born boys.

“Women’s longevity advantage becomes most apparent in old age. This may be the result of lower lifetime risk behaviours such as smoking and alcohol use. Alternatively, it may be the effect of harder-to-identify biological advantages that result in relatively lower rates of cardiovascular disease and cancer in women,” says the report.

The study, however, notes that the gap in life expectancy between women and men is narrowing to some extent in some developed coun­tries.

They attribute this to increased smoking among women and falling rates of cardio­vascular disease among men. It is also important to note that the extra years of life for women are not always lived in good health.

Dr Kevin Nguringa an internal medicine specialist at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) said longevity difference between men and women is as a result of genetics, nutrition, lifestyle and environmental surroundings.

Dr Nguringa added that what a person eats and the environment they live in contributes a lot to how long they live.

He said men’s involvement in more dangerous occupations and activities contribute to them dying earlier than women.

“Women also tend to seek healthcare services more often and early enough, which most of the time leads to their illnesses being diagnosed and treated in good time, thus prolonging their lives,” Dr Nguringa said.

The internal medicine specialist concurred that many studies around the world show that women are more likely to make it to 100 years than men.

In Kenya, there are a number of women who are more than 100 years of age. Sarah Wangechi Githaiga is one of them.

A relative we spoke to said even though her actual age remains a hard nut to crack, they estimate it to be more than 110 years.

Rachel Muiriru, Wangechi’s granddaughter, said a few elders in the area recently met to ascertain her actual age.

“Nobody seems to know our grandmother’s actual age, but it is more than 110 years,” said Ms Muiruri.

Until recently, Rachel said her grandmother, who hails from Kangibiri village in Nyeri County, has been tilling her farm but only stopped after she became very weak.

She added that as far as she can remember, her grandmother loved to eat local traditional food like sweet potatoes, arrowroots, yams and cassava as well as drinking porridge.

“She loves ngunjagutu (a Gikuyu delicacy prepared using potatoes, bananas and maize flour) very much and she makes it herself. We think her diet of traditional food and the manual work in the farm which kept her fit, also contributed greatly to her long life,” she said.

The granddaughter, however, said Wangechi’s appetite had greatly reduced lately, and she eats very little food.

Even though she still walks, her eyes and body size have increasingly become smaller as her age advances, something the granddaughter noted had contributed to her becoming weaker.

Her husband died many years ago and two of her three children are also dead.

In Mwala, Machakos County, Hellen Ngina also basks in the glory of old age. Her last born son Joseph Kamoni, 61, said they estimate their mother’s age to be about 110 years.

He described her as informed, alert and a strong woman who rarely gets ill, apart from having poor eye sight due to the advanced age.

Kamoni, who is Ngina’s ninth and last born son, said all her age mates in the area have died, leaving her the only surviving member of her age set.

At the moment, Kamoni said his mother no longer goes to the farm as she did a few years ago.

“We attribute her advanced age to her lifestyle; for a long time, she ate traditional foods like muthukoi, millet ugali and kienyenji greens,” he said.

Gladys Chania a clinical psychologist said longevity in individuals could be as a result of genetics involving genes that protect age-related diseases and increase longevity.

Ms Chania added personality traits like lifestyle and occupation, also affects longevity.

“In child psychology, it is believed that an individual’s personality traits in adolescence may predict their longevity; one other sure way of living longer is staying healthy and safe,” she said.

She added that people with conscious personality tend to live longer. These are people who smoke and drink less, and even rarely drive dangerously.

“Throughout life, conscientious people are less impulsive and less depressed. Conclusively, it is a matter of being conscious of your internal and external surroundings and taking charge,” she said.

What life after 100 looks like

·         Need help with everyday tasks such as getting dressed

·         May not be as sharp as they used to be

·         Decreasing mobility

·         Sexual activity becomes a thing of the past.

·         Desire for friendships, close relationships and romantic partners continues

·         Majority of centenarians are women and not surprisingly, most are widows