Why lesbians die younger than straight women…

• Bisexual women die 37 percent younger than heterosexual women
• Meanwhile while lesbian women die 20 percent sooner, the Harvard study found

A lifetime of societal stigma triggers chronic stress that dramatically shortens the life of lesbian and bisexual women, according to a new study.

Research by the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute found that bisexual women die, on average, nearly 40 percent younger than heterosexual women, while lesbian women die 20 percent sooner.

The difference in mortality is said to be due to the ‘toxic social forces’ LGBTQ people face, which can ‘result in chronic stress and unhealthy coping mechanisms’, said lead author Dr Sarah McKetta, Research Fellow at the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute.

The results of the study, one of the largest to mortality differences among those with differing sexual orientations, are ‘troubling’, senior author Brittany Charlton added.