The differences between men and women go a lot deeper than what you see on the outside. To put it bluntly, men are engineered from birth to be much more susceptible—at any given age–to heart attacks, chronic disorders, the ravages of time and, ultimately, to death than women.

Having designed male bodies to die off in greater numbers at every age than female bodies, Nature helps even the score by consistently ensuring that more males are conceived than females. In fact, 106 boys are born for every 100 girls. As time passes, male deaths increasingly outnumber females. By the time these babies have reached their 30s, the sexes are approximately equal in number. From that point on, the continuing higher male death rate leaves more women at any given age than men.

EAT YOUR VEGGIES

The single biggest step men can take to live longer is to adopt a vegetarian diet. Statistics are quite clear on this point. Vegetarians, male and female, outlive everyone else. They automatically eat more foods that promote longevity—vegetables, fruits and whole grains—to make up for the hole in their diet caused by avoiding the fat-laden meat that all-too-soon brings the male pump to a dead stop.

Think of all the vegetarians you know. Are they men or women? Chances are they’re women; men constitute only one-third of adults who consider themselves vegetarians. That’s too bad for men. By age 23, many men are already developing blockages in the arteries to their hearts. The biggest reason is the fat and cholesterol in all that prime rib and roast beef they’ve been eating. And simply switching from red meat to chicken and fish doesn’t help much, if at all. Both have plenty of cholesterol and a lot more fat than you would guess.

The good news? Your arteries begin to clean themselves as soon as you start topping your pasta with marinara instead of meat sauce. And eating less meat might also preserve your sexual potency. By age 60, about one in four North American men has experienced impotency, and, in most cases, blocked arteries are to blame. Tofu anyone?

Being overweight is also a risk factor for heart disease and cancer—and the average man who starts a vegetarian diet becomes 10 percent leaner. Vegetables and most plant foods are low in calories because they’re low in fat and sugar, and high in fiber. These foods also readjust your body chemistry: Their natural starches activate two hormones in the boy—noradrenaline and thyroid hormone—that boost metabolism. So don’t toss away that old softball jersey. A meatless diet could get you back into it—literally and energetically.

LOWER CANCER RISK

To top it all off, vegetarianism may actually make you a nicer person. A study conducted by Boston University’s School of Medicine from 1987 to 1989 found that the more fiber in a man’s diet, the less likely he is to be overly aggressive and domineering. The reason? Fiber prevents testosterone excess, and animal foods don’t contain fiber—plant foods do.

Eating less meats cuts your cancer risk. Cooking creates carcinogens on meat—especially chicken. Vegetarians are 40 percent less likely to develop cancer than meat eaters. Vegetables, fruits and legumes furnish phytonutrients and anticancer properties, so vegetarians’ white blood cells are twice as vigilant against cancer cells compared to those of omnivores. Blood levels of the amino acid homocysteine, which is linked to increased risk of heart attacks and strokes, drop about 13 percent after just one week on a strict vegan diet—one that contains no meat or dairy products at all.

Vegetarian foods can also reduce cholesterol and lower blood “viscosity,” or resistance to flow—allowing the heart to pump more efficiently and with less effort. A vegetarian diet that’s low in fat helps many diabetics throw away their medicine, sometimes within a few months. And it’s far more effective in controlling blood sugar than a low-fat omnivorous diet. Keep in mind that diabetes is also a risk factor for heart disease.

ENHANCE YOUR IMAGE

Can’t imagine a meatless diet? Think of vegetarianism as a goal, and take steps toward it over time, giving up red meat for a start. After a period of adjustment, drop the poultry—then the fish. But ultimately, the key to a longer life is to minimize your intake of animal products and maximize your intake of fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Those who follow a vegetarian lifestyle have lower blood pressure than people who consume meat less than once a week. The further and sooner you travel down that meatless road, the greater your chances of living as long as you would if you were, say, a woman.

And if you’re worried about losing your tough-guy image, keep the phrase “strong as an ox” in mind. After all, oxen are vegetarians. Hank Aaron, Major League Baseball’s all-time homerun leader
is a vegetarian—and no, he did not take steroids!

THE BALD TRUTH

With all those female eyes focused on you, you’ll probably want to keep your hair. Baldness depends largely on genetics. But the more meat and fat a man eats, the higher his testosterone level and the more it converts within the hair follicle to dihydrotestosterone, which is basically follicle poison. So going veg now can greatly increase your chances of keeping your hair.

No matter what your age, men, it’s never too late. Drop meat from your diet and beat the odds. A healthy 70-year-old man has more in common with a 30-year-old male than he does with an unhealthy man his own age. And remember: The longer you live, the more you’ll find yourself outnumbered by women.

Reprinted with permission from Better Nutrition, May 2003.