Living longer is not as easy as taking a  red or blue pill but if you are a man being married could help you reach 100. No big secret  we are living  longer, healthier lives   and when it  comes to  what  gerontologists call "oldest old age"  women outlive men despite being married or not.

Numbers don't lie and when it comes to aging there is  a clear leader. More than twice as many women reach age 85 as men. Three times as many reach 90  and four times as many can expect  100 candles on their cake.

'It's becoming clear that the factors linked with healthy aging differ for men and women,' says Boston University researcher Thomas T. Perls MD, in an article on WebMD.

Perls   agrees with that  in addition to  six medical and lifestyle factors, which include smoking, normal blood pressure and blood  sugar, that being married can  boost a man's odds of a long, healthy life.

Marriage is the trump card when it comes to men's chances of living longer and healthier.



Experts agree from their research,  unmarried men  are 70% more likely to die before age 85.  

Marriage is not a vital factor in women living longer and healthier.

"The vast majority of 100-year-old women lost their spouses in their 60s and 70s," Perls tells WebMD. "The 100-year-old men -- who are much fewer in number -- I would say all of them are married, either to their original or second spouse.

"Men cannot survive without a spouse. Women certainly can," Perls says. "They may thrive without a spouse, so there are probably very potent and important gender differences in healthy aging," he says.

Experts say this factor is as important as healthy lifestyles and give advice to men who want to reach 100.

"If you smoke,  quit smoking. If you're overweight, get leaner. Start moving more. Do some strength training. Be a lifelong learner. And if you are happily married, stay that way,"  says Bradley J. Willcox, MD, of the University of Hawaii and Pacific Health Research Institute in  Honolulu.