Want to Live Longer? Have a Kid
By admin
Babies are more than a bundle of joy—they may also be an elixir of life. Turns out, both biological and adoptive parents live longer than people who don’t have children, according to a study recently published in Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health.
Danish researchers compared rates of death and psychiatric illness among 21,276 couples that underwent in vitro fertility treatments to get pregnant. During the 14-year study, over 15,000 women gave birth, more than 1,500 adopted a child, and almost 800 gave birth and adopted. Meanwhile, 5,354 women remained childless. Sadly, nearly 300 participants died during the study, and over 1,200 were diagnosed with mental health issues.
Compared to childless women, women who gave birth were four times more likely to survive the study, and adoptive mothers had a 33 percent lower rate of death. Both biological and adoptive fathers were about 50 percent less likely than childless men to die during the study. Overall, people without children were more likely to drink alcohol, and more likely to suffer from a fatal cardiovascular disease or accident. However, parents were just as susceptible to mental illness as non-parents.
While these findings are just associations, not proof of cause and effect, parents who survived the study were clearly doing something right. And because dads and adoptive parents benefit from having children, the health perks don’t appear to be the product of conception. “Parents may change their behavior to live more healthy lifestyles by eating healthier, drinking less, and giving up smoking, while the childless are more prone to continue or take up unhealthy habits,” says lead study author Esben Agerbo, Ph.D, a professor at Aarhus University in Denmark. Childless adults may also lead more risky lifestyles: just consider a parent who pushes a stroller down a quiet sidewalk, versus a non-parent who speeds down the street in a sports car. That mom or dad is probably safer.
If making babies isn’t on your bucket list, you can still make lifestyle changes to promote your wellbeing and longevity. Begin with the simplest way to guarantee you live longer, and then tackle these small changes for big rewards.
More from WH:
Keep Your Body in Baby-Making Shape
When You Should Freeze Your Eggs
How to Keep Your Vital Organs Healthy
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