And now for the bad news......
Castrated men live longer
GISELA TELIS
Last updated 10:59 25/09/2012
LIVED TO 77: Italian castrata singer Farinelli lived to a good age in
the 18th century.
In the industrialised world, women live at least five years longer, on average, than men.
Scientists have attributed that difference to everything from healthier habits to hardier cells.
Now, a new study that analyses the longevity of eunuchs, or castrated men, suggests that testosterone may play a part in shortening men's lives.
The idea that testosterone, the male sex hormone, affects lifespan isn't new.
Neutered dogs and other animals that have had their sources of testosterone removed often live longer than their intact counterparts.
But studies on the connection between castration and longevity in humans are harder to come by, and the results have been inconclusive.
A 1969 study of institutionalised patients in Kansas found that castrated men lived an average of 14 years longer than other men in the same facility, but a 1993 study of Italian castrati (singers castrated as boys to preserve their high voices) found nothing unusual about their longevity.
Almost five years ago, biologist Kyung-Jin Min of Inha University in Incheon, Korea, found himself considering this lack of data while watching a Korean TV drama about eunuchs.
Min began to wonder if Korea's rich historical records could shed light on the link between castration and longevity in humans.
Until the late 19th century, Korean rulers employed eunuchs to serve the royal court.
These eunuchs were allowed to marry and adopt castrated boys as their sons.
....more at link
http://www.stuff.co.nz/science/7725727/ ... ive-longer
