May 9, 2009 Women who have babies naturally in their 40s or 50s
tend to live longer than other women. Now, a new study shows
their brothers also live longer, but the brothers' wives do not,
suggesting the same genes prolong lifespan and female fertility,
and may be more important than social and environmental factors.
"If women in your family give birth at older ages, you may well
have a chance of living longer than you would otherwise," says
the study's lead author, demographer Ken R. Smith, a professor
of family and consumer studies at the University of Utah. "If
you have a female relative who had children after age 45, then
there may be some genetic benefit in your family that will
enhance your longevity." For descendants of the Utah and Quebec
pioneers studied, "you may be able to look at the ages when your
female ancestors gave birth – rather than just their longevity –
in estimating how long you may live," says Smith, whose study
will be published online May 4 and in the June 10 print issue of
the Journ