Children Prolong Life, According To Study

Did you know that children prolong life? This is pointed out by a study from Karolinska Institutet. The researchers looked at the life expectancy of 1.4 million Swedes and discovered that children can prolong how many years one can expect to live, especially among men.

The researchers examined 704,481 men and 725,290 women aged 60 years. Those who participated in the study were born between 1911 and 1925. Among the data collected were marital status, number of children and gender.

After analyzing the results, the researchers concluded that paternity reduced the risk of death compared to people who had no children. Therefore, they had a lifespan of almost two years more.

According to a study published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health , a mother has an average of 24.6 years left to live at age 60, compared to 20.2 years for fathers. 60-year-old women without children live on average for another 23.1 years and men for 18.4 years.

Children prolong life, according to a study

You live a healthier life when you have children

Those who have children tend to adopt healthier habits than those who live without children. This is one of the reasons why children prolong life.

A study also showed that men who live in a family live much longer compared to those who do not. According to the researchers, this is probably due to the fact that “married men have the support and help of their spouse, while those who are single or widowed are more dependent on their children”.

The study was observational, in other words no conclusion can be drawn about the cause and effects of these relationships.

For the researchers, the results indicate that “the connection is stronger when the parents get older”. This is in line with other research that suggests that people without children face greater challenges and receive less support in the final stages of life.

Having children makes you live longer

Even when controlling factors such as level of education, the researchers found that the risk of death was lower in people who had at least one child.

Surprisingly, it was not in the mother that the biggest difference was seen in relation to those who did not have children, but the biggest difference was in the men.

According to Karin Modig, associate professor at Karolinska Institutet: “We do not know exactly why this is so. This may be because men were more stable in life than women when they married, perhaps because women tended to be younger than men in the generation we examined. Another factor may be that single women tend to have higher education than married women. When it comes to men, the opposite is true. “

Long life and family are connected

Eating a healthy diet, being physically active and exercising moderately is recommended by doctors to maintain a healthy and long life.

Contrary to many people’s beliefs, children do not wear out prematurely, but rather prolong their lives.

Five of the six oldest people in the world had children and lived in a large family. At present, life expectancy in Sweden is on average 81 years for men and 84 years for women. The average increases as science advances and the quality of life improves.

Having children can also reduce women’s biological aging process. According to Canadian researchers at Simon Fraser University of Burnaby, estrogen, a hormone produced in large quantities during pregnancy, helps to slow down aging.

This confirms the results of another study published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health . This study looked at 21,256 Danish couples.

The researchers also concluded that children prolong life. Mortality is between two and four times higher among those who have no children.