Being a man's man shortens men's lifespans, study finds

Masculinity really might be toxic.

A study has found that being a 'man's man' shaves years off men's lives, in part because they are too proud to see a doctor about their physical problems.

Researchers followed 4,000 men with high blood pressure from ages 12 through 42 - a condition that puts them at risk of heart attacks, strokes and dementia.

Those with higher masculinity traits were up to 11 percent less likely to take their prescription blood pressure medication.

Researchers at the University of Chicago found that their need to appear self-reliant and strong is preventing them from seeking medical help and found that even after the person was diagnosed, they declined to treat the health issues. 

This pattern means that men develop severe problems like cardiovascular disease, which could have been prevented had they taken their health seriously.

'We're seeing how pressures to convey identity — whether it's rooted in gender, race, sexuality or something else — impact health behaviors,' the study's lead author Nathaniel Glasser, MD, said. 

'Fitting in and achieving belonging is a complicated task, and we feel strongly that increased societal sympathy, empathy and patience for others undertaking that task would be good for people's health.' 

It comes after new data showed half of American adults have hypertension - and 40 percent of those are completely unaware they have it.

Glasser and his team looked at data from National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health), which collected health information and survey responses from more than 12,000 people between 1994 and 2018.

Glasser said: 'We're purely focused on self-reported behaviors, preferences and beliefs, and how closely these reported behaviors and attitudes resemble those of same-gendered peers.'

Men who exhibited higher traits of masculinity consistently emphasized their dominance and denied their feelings of vulnerability.

The ADD Health survey questions asked the participants 'whether a doctor, nurse, or other health care provider ever told you that you have or had [high blood pressure or hypertension, high blood sugar or diabetes, high blood cholesterol, triglycerides, lipids, or hyperlipidemia].' 

Hyperlipidemia is a condition where there are high fat levels in the blood which can make it difficult for blood to flow through the arteries, thus increasing the risk of heart disease and stroke.

The study said could be caused because masculine men are less likely to seek help from a physician and the diagnosis could hide for years until it developed into something more severe.

Those who had shown signs of masculinity since young adulthood were seven percent less likely to take prescribed blood pressure medication in their 30s and early 40s and 10 percent less likely to take diabetes medication.

A survey conducted by the Cleveland Clinic in TK found that 65 percent of men will avoid seeking medical help as long as possible, citing that they're too busy, believe the issue will heal on its own or they don't want to feel weak. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the prevalence of heart disease in men dropped from 8.3 percent in 2009 and there is some evidence that they are starting to become more vulnerable than in the past.

There is an increased discussion about men accepting their vulnerability and many have spoken out about how there's pressure on them to be 'hard.' 

Glasser said: 'Our hypothesis is that social pressures are leading to behavioral differences that impact cardiovascular risk mitigation efforts.

He added that it 'is concerning because it could be leading to worse long-term health outcomes.'