Since this thread has already been thoroughly highjacked...

Mashing will tend a person toward muscle imbalances, unless you have a very clean pedal stroke. Most mashers do not. That's why it's called mashing and not just slow cadence, it looks like they are mashing down on the pedals.

Yes, men have stronger connective tissue and can take higher stress loads because of it but eventually, even the strongest joint will break down under enough repeated stress. The other advantage that men have is the alignment of their femurs (thigh bone) relative to the pelvis, this allows them to get away with muscle imbalances longer before they experience pain around the patella (knee cap). The alignment changes the way the force from the quads is delivered through the patella.

But the most telling factor, IMO, is the relationship between cadence and intra-articular pressures (pressure inside the joint). As candence goes up, intra-articular pressure goes down, drastically. So, higher cadence, less pressure on the cartilage, less microtrauma that leads to nasty things like osteoarthritis in our old age. Having said that, if you're spinning above 70 RPM, the joint forces are pretty low anyway. Below 70 is not good for long term joint health.

Hope that helps.

PS - Congratulations on the weight loss and the riding.