Who's the stronger sex?

Women: average life expectancy is 79.5 yrs

13 April 2012

The latest combination of females and figures show that the average woman is kicking our statistical arses. Little Miss Ordinary is a 5ft 4in, 66kg brunette and, in the arena that matters most - living a long, healthy and happy life -she's doing celebratory cartwheels.

Meanwhile, the average bloke - married at 34 with 16 pairs of underpants - is on the wrong side of a huge gender gap.

FAT STATS

Average weight gain this year

Man 570g(1lb 4oz)

Woman 600g (1lb 5oz)

BOWLED OVER

Okay, so technically, men have won this one. But one ounce?

Try eating cereal for lunch. Or dinner. Either way, you'll lose weight, according to a recent study. People who ate cereal for two out of three of their daily meals lost as much as 1.8kg (4lb) in two weeks, compared with practically no weight loss for the control group. Even better, what the cereal group lost was mainly fat, not water.

MARITAL ROWS

Percentage of divorce initiates

Men 30

Women 70

TAKE TIME OUT

'Evidence suggests that women are far less likely to endure an unhappy relationship,' suggests Petra Boynton, Men's Health relationship and sex editor. 'Men may be unhappy but deal with it by drinking, being with mates or having an affair - they are more likely to do these things than women - which may be why women frequently cite desertion or adultery as reasons for divorce.'

Set aside some time to talk over the relationship - even if it's going well. Make time to see each other without interruption (kids, work worries, housework etc). 'If possible, get out of the house and have a break - even a walk somewhere can be beneficial,' says Boynton.

BROKEN HEARTS

Odds of premature death from coronary heart disease

Man 1 in 3

Woman 1 in 5

Cardiovascular disease accounts for half of all UK deaths. The British Heart Foundation reports that of the 300,000 people who have a heart attack each year, 150,000 of them are fatal.

The figures do show that women don't fare much better than us, which means there are heart-stoppers that don't discriminate on the basis of gender. Here are two of them:

Avoid fish with a high mercury content - swordfish, mackerel, shark - as it interacts with our antioxidant systems. To get the heart-saving omega-3s without the heart-stopping mercury, stick with salmon, tuna (the tinned kind), and sardines.

PEARLY WHITES OF WISDOM

If you have your wisdom teeth, you could have a higher risk of suffering a heart attack. Research has uncovered a strong connection between gum disease and heart attacks. 'If that bacteria is in a pocket, it's entering the bloodstream,' says dentist Ray White. Ask your dentist to monitor them closely for signs of infection and pick up a toothbrush with a tip specially designed for cleaning back teeth, such as the Wisdom Toothbrush Regular Firm, £1.59.

LIVE LONGER

Life expectancy

Man 74.1 yrs

Woman 79.5 yrs

We've been taking a pounding in this fixture season after season - mainly because women have those five extra years in their blood. It's down to a magical hormone called oestrogen that helps them ward off heart disease. Men have an enzyme that converts some testosterone into oestrogen but if our testosterone levels aren't as high as they could be (often the case as we age) then there goes any possible heart-protective effect.

THICKER THAN WATER

Regularly donating blood can lower your iron levels and, in turn, your risk of heart disease. 'The most interesting physiological difference between ageing men and women is iron deficiency,' says Dr Thomas Perls, director at Boston Medical Centre. 'Menstruation makes women irondeficient, which might be a good thing. With less iron, women produce fewer free radicals, which have been shown to be a key component in ageing.'

Call the National Blood Service on 08457 711 711.

VITAL STATS

Percentage who smoke (over 16)

Men 27

Women 26

Average alcoholic units drunk per week

Men 16

Women 6.3

Percentage of UK adults overweight

Men 46

Women 32

Percentage who regularly visit burger bars