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Biological clue to why women live longer than men
By Helen Briggs
Women live longer than men partly because their immune systems age more slowly, a study suggests. As the body’s defences weaken over time, men’s increased susceptibility to disease shortens their lifespans, say Japanese scientists.
Tests of immune function could give an indication of true biological age, they report in Immunity & Ageing journal. The immune system protects the body from infection and cancer, but causes disease when not properly regulated. The Japanese study set out to investigate the controversial question of whether age-related changes in the immune system could be responsible for the difference in average life expectancy between men and women.
Prof Katsuiku Hirokawa of the Tokyo Medical and Dental University and colleagues analysed blood samples from 356 healthy men and women aged between 20 and 90.They measured levels of white blood cells and molecules called cytokines which interact with cells of the immune system to regulate the body’s response to disease. In both sexes, the number of white blood cells per person declined with age as expected from previous studies. However, closer examination revealed differences between men and women in two key components of the immune system – T–cells, which protect the body from infection, and B-cells, which secrete antibodies.
“Our findings indicate that the slower rate of decline in these immunological parameters in women than that in men is consistent with the fact that women live longer than do men.”
(http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-22528388/15.05.2013.Adaptado)
O termo that em destaque na frase – “Our findings indicate that the slower rate of decline in these immunological parameters in women than that in men is consistent with the fact that women live longer than do men.” – refere-se a
Outras questões do mesmo concurso: PROCON SP / ASA (PROCON SP) / 2013
