Physiological basis for sex-specific differences in longevity

The female survival advantage is incredibly robust, spanning almost all ages and societies in the past two centuries. While sociobehavioral factors account for part of the mortality differential, the female survival advantage extends beyond sex differences in risk-taking and aggression. Several physiological explanations have been proposed for broad protection against various chronic diseases and mortality in females, but much work remains to be done before we can fully understand how sex influences aging and longevity. Recent methods enable the disentanglement of classical gonadal steroid effects from those of sex chromosomes. Understanding the basis for sex differences in aging will ultimately lead to improved sex-specific therapies for increasing healthy longevity in both women and men.