研究显示 母亲分娩时的年龄或可决定孩子的寿命
The secret of a long and healthy life could be as simple as your mother's age at the time of your birth. Babies born to women under 25 are almost twice as likely to live to 100 as those born to older mothers, a study has shown. The finding could have implications for the tens of thousands of British babies born to older mothers each year. The trend for delaying parenthood means that almost half of the 720,000 babies born each year are born to mothers aged 30-plus. Previous work by the University of Chicago husband and wife team Dr Leonid Gavrilov and Dr Natalia Gavrilov had shown that firstborn children live longer than their younger siblings. Now it appears the two are linked, with older children living longer because their mothers are younger when they have them. However, the father's age has little effect on longevity. The researchers say more work is needed to pin down why the mother's age is so important. But it could be down to simple biology, with egg quality being best in younger women. The answer could also lie in younger women being healthier than their older counterparts. Dr Gavrilov said the finding "may have important social implications because many women postpone their childbearing to later ages because of career demands". |