Men can actually prevent most major threats to their health

Do you know what the most serious threats to men’s lives are? You might be surprised to learn that the list is relatively short.

According to statistics that were gathered in the United States in 2003, close to 80% of all recorded male deaths were attributed to the following ten leading causes: heart disease (28%), cancer (24%), accidental injuries (5.9%), stroke (5.1%), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (5.1%), diabetes (2.9%), influenza and pneumonia (2.4%), suicide (2.1%), kidney disease (1.7%) and Alzheimer’s disease (1.5%).

Do you notice something? When you look at this list, you are likely to realize one thing: many of the diseases attributed to the ten main killers could be avoided if men were to adopt healthier behaviours. Most notably, they should try lowering their level of stress, adopting a healthier diet, and being physically active regularly.

Furthermore, the life expectancy in Canada in 2003 was of 82.4 years for women, and 77.4 years for men. Although there still is a 5-year gap separating both sexes, the causes of this discrepancy are still unclear. One thing we do know however is that certain unhealthy behaviours are still socially “acceptable” for men and these likely exposes them to premature death. For example, men are more at risk of smoking, of drinking alcohol and of consuming illicit drugs. All of these behaviours are associated with an accrued risk of suffering from serious diseases. Men are also more inclined to behave aggressively, which could explain their elevated risk of committing suicide, and of perishing from an accident or a homicide.

Now, THE question is: are men ready to change their lifestyle habits in order to live longer, healthier lives? This is a question only THEY can answer.