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Are women healthier than men?

If men are from Mars and women are from Venus, it seems Mars is awash with butchers while Venus is full of fruit and veggie stalls. Recent research confirmed what many of us already suspected: women are not only the fairer sex, but the healthier sex as well

A study of about 14,000 Americans revealed that men seem to be programmed to choose meaty dishes, while women opt for fruit and vegetables. Women are also more likely to mix up their diet with nuts, eggs and yoghurt, while men are more partial to frozen burgers.

The findings, which were presented at the International Conference of Emerging Infectious Diseases, were based on a population survey of the Foodborne Disease Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet) and have been described as the most extensive study into the gender differences in eating habits.

But before we go patting ourselves on the back for being much healthier than the opposite sex, it's worth remembering that most of us have to live with these carnivorous creatures. And it's usually to our detriment, says Dr Amelia Lake, a dietician who has conducted numerous studies on this topic and wrote the report, Could your partner be bad for your health?

'When it comes to cohabitation you are bringing together two different food systems and there is a lot of convergence and taking on board of other peoples' likes and dislikes,' she explains. 'It seems to be that it is overwhelmingly the norm that women tend to bring more healthy eating patterns to a relationship whereas men tend to bring more unhealthy eating patterns.'

Lake, a research fellow at Newcastle University, has analysed findings from studies conducted in the UK, the US, Australia and Europe, and concludes that while males seem to benefit from moving in with a female, they have a negative impact on their partner's diet.

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