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Daily Mail Article "
Why marrying a younger woman can save your life (even if it sends HER to an early grave)", 30 June 2009, by Victoria Lambert.
The statistics make for alarming reading; although the average man will live for 77 years, for around seven of those he'll be seriously or chronically ill. And as a major report published earlier this month revealed, men are 70 per cent more likely than women to suffer from cancers that affect both sexes (for instance, bowel cancer).
So what can a chap do to safeguard his health? Here, VICTORIA LAMBERT looks at the rules that could make a difference to men's prospects...
AVOIDING CERTAIN FOODS CAN PREVENT PROSTATE CANCER, according to a new review published in the Journal Of Human Nutrition And Dietetics. In particular, men should avoid meat that is highly processed or cooked on the barbecue. Cooking meat at high temperatures causes proteins in the meat to form carcinogens called heterocyclic amines (HCAs) - this is the burnt bit you see on barbecued meat.
Meanwhile, grilling exposes meat to cancer-causing chemicals contained in the smoke that rises from the burning coals and any drips of fat.
CARRY YOUR WALLET IN YOUR BREAST POCKET
Physiotherapists have coined the term 'wallet-neuropathy' for the lower back pain caused by men sitting down (such as when driving or in the office) on wallets always carried in their back trouser pocket. The condition is triggered by the wallet pressing on sciatic nerves in the back and can lead to pain or numbness in the lower leg, ankle or foot. Walking, sitting and lying down can become very painful and some people find relief only when they stand still.
CUT DOWN ON PAINKILLERS
Taking painkillers can dramatically increase the risk of high blood pressure - half of men over 65 will have hypertension to some degree and this also increases their chance of a heart attack or stroke. Taking just one daily non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen, was found to raise the risk by 38 per cent, while a daily aspirin upped the risk by 26 per cent, according to an authoritative study by Harvard Medical School involving 16,000 male health professionals.
Those who took about 15 tablets or more a week had a 48 per cent increased risk. It is thought this was caused by the analgesics inhibiting the effects of chemicals that relax the blood vessels (and lower blood pressure).
HAVE SEX EVERY DAY
Nearly half of all couples undergoing fertility treatment need it because the quality or quantity of the man's sperm is poor. Now Australian researchers have recommended that one of the best ways to maintain the quality is simply to have more sex. Abstaining might increase the quantity of sperm, but this doesn't mean much if the sperm is faulty in the first place, explains Australian gynaecologist Dr David Greening.
It seems that sperm that's been stored in the body is more exposed to DNA damage from free radicals. 'Ejaculating more frequently, i.e. daily, reduces sperm DNA damage in most men by a decent amount,' he says. In a pilot trial, this damage was reduced by 12 per cent. MEN who drink two or more sugar-rich drinks a day are at a much higher risk of gout, a study at British Columbia University in Vancouver and Harvard Medical School found.
Diet soft drinks were not a problem, but fruit juice and fructose-rich fruits (such as oranges) were. Rheumatologists believe fructose inhibits the excretion of uric acid which, when it builds up, crystalises in the joints, causing the painful symptoms of gout.
FLOSS YOUR TEETH
Men suffering from patchy hair loss - known as alopecia areata - should go to the dentist, not the barber. Scientists at the University of Granada, Spain, have found a link between gum disease and baldness. Experts already knew that alopecia areata, which affects up to 70,000 British men each year, is linked to genetics and stress. Now it's also been shown to be triggered as the result of an immune system response to a mouth infection.
MARRY A YOUNGER WOMAN
By choosing a bride 15-17 years younger, a man can cut his risk of premature death by 20 per cent. Even choosing a wife seven to nine years younger will reduce his risk of dying early by 11 per cent. So found a study by Germany's Max Planck Institute, which looked at deaths between 1990 and 2005 for the population of Denmark.
A spokesman for the institute said the results might be caused by younger women caring for their men better than older ones. Alternatively, it could be a result of natural selection - only the healthiest, most successful older men are able to attract younger mates.
For their younger wives, the news isn't so good. Women with husbands older or younger by between seven and nine years increased their chances of dying early by 20 per cent, and 30 per cent if the age difference is between 15 and 17 years.
*Horrifying*DISCOVER YOUR PELVIC FLOOR
Yes, men have these muscles, too - and now experts think that working them could prevent the impotence and incontinence that comes with ageing by increasing the support these muscles give to the bladder and the penis.
A study by Professor Grace Dorey, of the University of the West of England, found that pelvic-floor exercises could be as effective as Viagra in restoring erectile function. And two-thirds of men who suffered from incontinence improved dramatically after a programme of pelvic-floor exercises.
In order to locate these muscles, try to stop your flow of urine mid-stream, before restarting it. (This technique should be done only once a week to check your progress - any more and it could affect your ability to pass urine.) If your muscles are weak, the following exercise will help strengthen them.
Sit on a chair with your knees apart and your feet flat on the floor. Lean forward and then rest your forearms on your thighs. Tighten and squeeze the muscles in your back passage, as you would if you tried to stop yourself passing wind.
Holding this, do the same with the muscles around the urethra as if you are trying to stop yourself passing urine. Try holding for two seconds, rising to ten as your muscles become stronger. Relax the pelvic floor. Repeat for five sets, four times a day.
AIM FOR PROMOTION
The mortality rate of men in the lowest grade civil service jobs is three times higher than those in the highest grade, according to a Whitehall study which tracked male civil servants aged between 20 and 64 from 1967 to 1977.
Lack of control at work is one possible explanation, says Professor Michael Marmot, of the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at University College London, who directed the study.
EAT FIVE APPLES A DAY
Eat five apples a day
Bowel cancer affects 20,000 men a year, with men aged 50 and older more likely to suffer than women because of their diet. Eating lots of fibre - the indigestible plant material found in fruit, vegetables, grains and beans - is one of the best ways to prevent bowel cancer.
Not only does it help the passage of food through the gut, it feeds the 'friendly' gut bacteria which aid digestion and nourish the cells of the large intestine. This is thought to stimulate healing and reduce the development of cancer.
According to the charity Beating Bowel Cancer, everyone should be eating 18g of fibre each day. A banana contains 1.8g, as does 1 slice of wholemeal bread. Apples (including the skin) contain 4g, so they are an easier choice.
EAT LESS MEAT
Not just because it cuts the risk of cancer and heart disease, but because it protects virility.
Research from Penn State University in America suggests that eating a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet can lower testosterone levels, which fall with age in all men anyway - causing symptoms ranging from fatigue to hair loss and erectile dysfunction.
Dietician Thomas Incledon explains: 'Your protein intake should be about 16 per cent of your daily calories. So, if you're an average 12st man who eats 2,900 calories a day, you should eat about 140 grams of protein daily (equivalent to a 400g fillet steak).'
DON'T LET YOUR WIFE WORK
Middle-aged men whose partners worked part-time or who were at home caring for the family were less depressed than those whose partners worked full-time, according to a report published by the Queen Mary's School of Medicine, London.
The study also showed that men whose partners moved from caring for the family to full-time work were more depressed. The researchers suggested that stay-at-home partners were particularly beneficial to men's mental health because they took on family responsibilities and organised a happy social life.
BRUSH YOUR TEETH WITH THE WRONG HAND
Practise 'neurobics' - activities that keep the brain building new memory cells and pathways help to stave off dementia.
While women are more likely to get dementia in the form of Alzheimer's disease, men are more likely to get vascular dementia - which is connected to heart disease and stroke. In both cases, though, scientists agree brain-building exercises can help stave off the illness.
The term 'neurobics' was coined by American neurobiologist Lawrence Katz and involves doing things that challenge your brain - such as ' morning roulette', when you do all your routine tasks (brushing your teeth or holding your coffee mug, for example) with the opposite hand to normal. Other neurobic activities include changing your route to work or learning a short poem every day.
CUT YOUR CHOLESTEROL
It could improve your love life, says Jack Mydlo, a urologist at University of Temple Medical School, Philadelphia - in fact, many men experiencing erectile dysfunction can improve their performance without resorting to drugs.
Mydlo suggests they stop smoking, lose weight and lower their cholesterol. Cutting cholesterol is particularly important because high levels lead to plaque build-up in tubes in the penis and arteries, which can greatly reduce blood flow.
Men with high cholesterol have almost twice the incidence of erectile dysfunction compared to those with lower cholesterol numbers. To reduce cholesterol, the advice is to switch to a low-fat diet and take regular exercise. Statins might also be prescribed.
Spend 10 minutes in the sunshine every day to avoid a lack of vitamin D - the source of many male woes
SPEND 10 MINUTES A DAY IN THE SUN
A lack of vitamin D is responsible for many male woes - from hair loss to low libido and poor muscle strength, even post-exercise aches and pains in the joints.
Our main source of vitamin D is sunshine - and just 10-15 minutes a day is enough.
