By: Bella Lee

It has been known for some time that some men lose their Y chromosomes as they age, but it was thought to be normal process. However, recent studies have shown that the loss of Y chromosomes might play a role in the shortening of the life of men.

According to a study published last Thursday in the journal Science, as Y chromosomes disappeared from the blood cells in the mice, scar tissue began to build up in the heart, leading to heart failure and a shortened life span.

This relationship between the loss of Y chromosomes and health was then applied to human males to look at diseases that are related to heart failure include chronic ones, such as coronary artery disease.

Statistics show that at least forty percent of men experiences loss of the Y chromosomes by age 70, and by the time they are ages between 80 and 90, about 57 percent of them lose Y chromosomes.

Some scientists believe that this occurrence could explain the life span differences between men and women.

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