Why is the XX Fitter? Evidence Consistent with an Effect of X-heterosis in Women from Sex Ratio Data in Offspring of First Cousin Marriages

Abstract

ALTHOUGH women are known to be more viable than men, the biological mechanisms for this difference are poorly understood. A relevant question is, to what extent does heterozygosity for X-linked loci contribute to survival of the XX female? The advantage accruing to the XX female through having this factor can be defined as X-heterosis¹. Practically all serious X-linked disorders such as haemophilia occur in males, but the total incidence of such severe diseases is relatively small and cannot account for the observed sex differences in age specific mortality rates. It is conceivable that X-heterosis is relatively insignificant in the total population, and that the bulk of the observed sex difference is attributable to physiological factors that are a consequence of sex differentiation (for example, the apparent oestrogen-sparing effect on coronary heart disease) and/or to psycho-cultural factors that may pertain to diminished exposure of women to environmental hazards (for example, industrial pollutants).