Stay childless to stay healthy, says study

The Scotsman ^ | Wednesday, 10th October 2001 | James Doherty

[sendtoscott]

Stay childless to stay healthy, says study

IF YOU hope to live a long and healthy life, then abandon all plans of marriage, forget about the trauma of childbirth and dedicate yourself to climbing the career ladder to achieve a disease-free old age.

A massive study of 15,000 middle-aged men and women, carried out in Paisley 30 years ago, has given researchers a unique opportunity to determine the factors which contribute to a productive dotage.

And the startling results reveal that women who have never married and never given birth have the best chance of good health in their later years.

For men, career success seems to be the elusive elixir necessary for sustained quality of life long after-retirement age.

The ground-breaking study, carried out by the University of Paisley, revisited some of the surviving 7,500 men and women who took part in the original research.

Professor Mary Gilhooly, director of the Centre of Gerontology and Health at the university, told The Scotsman that the two and a half year PREVAIL project was unique in the world, because most other studies of its kind did not have access to a pool of women subjects.

It was thanks only to the stubbornness of a female factory worker who demanded that women be included in the original survey that scientists today had ready access to such valuable data.

Today’s research found evidence to suggest that eliminating stress was a precursor for a healthy old age.

Professor Gilhooly said: "It seems that having and caring for children is stressful for women and lack of career progression is stressful for men.

"So low levels of chronic stress from giving birth or a poor career are damaging over a lifetime."

The study determined the factors which allowed the 100 healthiest men and women, now in their seventies or older, to live productive lives. "What is surprising is that of the 52 women we looked at 20 of them are childless, which is quite astonishing," added Prof Gilhooly.

"It appears that being unmarried and childless is the better option for women who want to stay healthy in their old age," she said.

"It’s not a happy state to have lived to 95, but to have spent 30 years in poor health.

"Giving birth is physiologically demanding, but it is also time-consuming and stressful bringing up a child, and for some of them it is very boring.

"We’ve got to remember that we’re talking about a generation who had children and then were expected to give up work."

Throughout the past 30 years, studies conducted into the Paisley Buddies, initially undertaken by researchers at Glasgow University, have given valuable insights into the prevention and treatment of heart disease and cancer.

The MIDSPAN study also examined the effects of smoking, drinking and obesity on lifespan. Describing the 52 women looked at in the new study as the "healthy elite", the professor said those who were unmarried were a far cry from the stereotype of the hard-nosed spinster.

She added: "They were not crabby old witches. If anything, they were dynamic and leading interesting lives with very strong social circles."

Asked whether the prognosis for a generation of women who juggle career and family commitments was poor, Prof Gilhooly said: "Well, it could be worse. If the common under-lying factor in our findings is stress, then it’s possible that poor health may increase for those women when they reach old age."

The professor explained that modern women could benefit from increased salaries, better homes and better diets, which could, in turn, balance out any negative impacts on health associated with child-birth and marriage.

Professor Gilhooly added that her study had thrown open some interesting results for her own future.

She admitted: "I’ve been married for 30 years and I have a son.

"I’m not childless and not unmarried, but I have had career progression, so if I was a man, my prognosis would be wonderful."

The research project concludes in March 2002.

James Doherty
Wednesday, 10th October 2001
The Scotsman

[lavaroise]

he he he, sure, and then when you get old and sick, don't get surprized if no one is there when they try to prematurely pull the plug on you.

[Aquinasfan]

Bleep you, Mr. pro-abortion, Zero Population Growth article writer.

Our children are a constant source of joy. They are the greatest gift that the good Lord has given us.

[xsmommy]

Giving birth is physiologically demanding, but it is also time-consuming and stressful bringing up a child, and for some of them it is very boring.

guess we really need to re-evaluate this whole procreating thing....

[GoredInMich]

Well, this guy is an idiot. Sure, kids are demanding, and expensive, and emotionally trying, and all that........

Funny thing is, I have forgotten what my life was like before they arrived.

I guess that part of my life wasn't worth remembering.

[Rodm]

What a stupid, godless article. I guess the author's parents made a big mistake.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Evidently the only purpose of life is to live as long as possible.

[SuziQ]

"It appears that being unmarried and childless is the better option for women who want to stay healthy in their old age," she said.

I had read that being childless greatly increased a woman's chances of contracting breast cancer. The incidences of breast cancer among nuns is very high, mainly because they never had kids so their hormone levels never did the natural up and down switches that come with childbirth.

That is also one of the reasons breast cancer is high among those women who had an abortion before their first live birth. The hormone flow was halted by the abortion instead of allowed to take its natural course through childbirth. Even a miscarriage would not have the same effect because the hormones would have been changing already before the miscarriage, so it would not be abrupt and unnatural.

[MissAmericanPie]

Better title would be, "How to live to a lonely old dotage in a care facility".

[Macaw]

Maybe his nads don't work anymore and he's trying to feel better about himself.

[ImaGraftedBranch]

I never understood what love really was until I had children. I thought I did, but it wasn't even close.

The love from and for your child is on another level completely.

Let these people go without children. They'll have nobody to teach their errant ways.

[4Godsoloved..Hegave]

For me and my house we will serve the Lord!
Rather take my Heavenly Father's perspective on life than man's.

Psalms127: 1 Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.
2 It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.
3 Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.
4 As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.
5 Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.

Full quiver here :-)

[TADSLOS]

Supported and funded by Planned Parenthood, no doubt..

[Aggie Mama]

I never understood the love that God has for me until I had my children.

[joathome]

This article states that men whom maintain their careers lead longer lives. I've also seen studies that show that married men lead longer, healthier lives. Men who live a lifestyle of boozing it up in the bars every night tend not to take care of their health. Most women, I know, have to force their husbands to get a check up.

[Ward Smythe]

This guy is an idiot.

When we hit our 40s my wife and I exclaimed "Now we have to do something significant because we're too old to die young."

Then we realized (what we already knew) that the most significant thing we can do is to prepare our boys for the life ahead (as much as we can).

My dad died at the age of 49. If he had the chance, I'm sure he'd tell us he would've preferred that to living to be 100 without my brother and me. I feel the same about my boys. Whatever time I have with them here is far more valuable than any career "success" or living to be old enough to gum my food.

[kassie]

I hope all the people that agree with him, follow his advice and don't have any children. Rid the world of this type of stupidity.

[That Poppins Woman]

Many participants on the FR value so-called Christian morals, i.e., chastity in the absence of marriage. And it has been quite entertaining reading through the bitter posts of those above, who seem to hate folks simply because they didn't find their soulmates, and didn't procreate.

The good news is that life is full of balance, and if some folks miss out on a lifemate and an opportunity to procreate, they get a little extra on the health and longevity end.

B-a-l-a-n-c-e. Balance. -- Juan Sanchez Villa-Lobos Ramirez, from "Highlander"

[LibertarianLiz]

Evidently the only purpose of life is to live as long as possible.

LOL. Thank you for putting this entire article into perspective in one terrific sentence.

[smokinleroy]

Yep, and according to Darwin, you'll survive by being the fittest. Then you'll pass on your genes to the most, er, um . . . , nevermind.