Loss of Y chromosome Reason behind Shorter Life Span and Increased Cancer Risk in Males

During the Palaeolithic Age, men experienced a lot of dangers while hunting. With the advent of modern life and technology, men exchanged the club for the corporate suit. But as it happens, scientists have indicated men may not yet be out of danger and the reason for this is the Y chromosome. The vital Y chromosome which is only found in males has long been associated with masculine traits and characteristics. Scientists have now found the Y chromosome also influences the lifespan and vulnerability to cancer.

Men have been found to have a shorter life expectancy compared to women. Uppsala University’s researchers have now demonstrated that there is a correlation between the loss of the Y chromosome in the blood cells and shorter life span plus greater risk for cancer. Researchers from across the globe have found that men are more susceptible to cancer. They also have a shorter lifespan than women, on an average. The reasons for this gender disparity were always under scrutiny. Now, researchers from this Swedish university have shed new light on the matter.

Change in the DNA of normal cells has been linked to a vast number of physical and mental diseases. Cancer is one of the most dreaded diseases because of its uncertain prognosis and high chances of recurrence. An international team of researchers have analyzed the DNA of more than 1600 males and found interesting results based on the examination of the blood samples of test subjects.

Researchers found that the most common genetic alteration in men was the loss of Y chromosome in proportion to white blood cells or leucocytes. The male subjects in this clinical investigation were studied for many years. This research study has found an important correlation between the Y chromosome and shorter survival. Regardless of the cause of death, men who have lost the Y chromosome in a large proportion to white blood cells have lower chances of survival. Strong correlation between the loss of the Y chromosome and risk for developing cancer was also found by the researchers, according to Lars Forsberg of this university.

Earlier, the Y chromosome was popularly perceived as small and insignificant as well as containing very little genetic information. Researchers now reiterate that this is incorrect. Results show that the Y chromosome has a potent role to play in suppressing tumours as well. This could well be the explanation for why men are more prone to cancer than women. Jan Dumanski, the professor at the Department of Immunology at Uppsala University has also indicated that the analyses of the Y chromosome could well become a vital general marker for predicting the risk males have for developing cancer.

An average Indian man has been found to live 4.6 years longer in 2008 as compared to 1998. An average Indian woman has been found to live three years more than this. According to recent estimates, life expectancy at birth for women has been found to be 67.7 years as against 64.6 years for men. Analysing the Y chromosome in men could well be an important bio-marker for other diseases as well.

It is also a scientifically established fact that the male foetus is more vulnerable than the female. Nature has equipped women to be better survivors than men. After all, the female of the species is deadlier than the male. Women have always been relegated a lower social status in primitive cultures. But with the passage of time, the attitude towards women has undergone a sea change. Yet, in underdeveloped areas where primitive laws still operate and women are victims of violence, it is perhaps divine justice that men are at a major genetic disadvantage.

While the researchers at Uppsala University are now attempting to replicate the study using a larger cohort, objective analysts may object that “correlation does not imply correlation”. For those who are in favour of the research though, it is just as well that 33% of the Indian parliament seats are now being reserved for women hopefully. A lady prime minister may even be what India needs.