English: A new study from the University of Helsinki suggests that the number of children a woman has may influence her rate of ageing and lifespan. Researchers found that women with five or more children, or no children at all, aged faster than those with a small number of children.
Researcher Mikaela Hukkanen explained: “Organisms have limited resources. If much energy is used for reproduction, less is available for body repair, which may shorten lifespan.” She added that the shorter lifespans of women who never gave birth were “surprising.”The study analysed historical health data from 14,836 women, including DNA and blood samples. Results suggested that having a smaller number of pregnancies could benefit health, such as lowering the risk of breast and ovarian cancer. However, the physical demands of multiple childbirths may cancel out these benefits.
Another factor is social support: mothers may live longer because of assistance provided by the state for raising children.
中文： 芬蘭赫爾辛基大學的一項新研究指出，女性的生育子女數量可能影響她的 老化速度 和 壽命。研究發現，生育五個以上子女 或 完全沒有子女 的女性，比生育少量子女的女性老化更快。
研究員 Mikaela Hukkanen 解釋：「生物體的資源有限。如果大量能量用於生殖，身體修復的資源就會減少，可能縮短壽命。」她補充說，未曾生育女性壽命較短的結果「令人驚訝」。
研究分析了 14,836 名女性 的歷史健康數據，包括 DNA 和血液樣本。結果顯示，少量懷孕可能有助於健康，例如降低 乳癌與卵巢癌 的風險。然而，多次生育的身體負擔可能抵消這些好處。
另一個因素是 社會支持：母親可能因為國家提供的育兒協助而延長壽命。
📚 Vocabulary | 單字
- ageing = the process of getting older → 老化
- lifespan = the length of life → 壽命
- resources = time, energy, or materials → 資源
- reproduction = having children → 生殖
- DNA = genetic material → DNA
- blood sample = a small amount of blood for testing → 血液樣本
- social support = help from society or government → 社會支持
🗣️ Useful Expressions | 常用表達
- “The number of children may affect ageing.” → 子女數量可能影響老化。
- “Organisms have limited resources.” → 生物體的資源有限。
- “Having fewer pregnancies may benefit health.” → 少量懷孕可能有益健康。
- “Social support can increase longevity.” → 社會支持能延長壽命。
📝 Practice Questions | 練習問題
- What did the study suggest about children and ageing? 研究指出子女數量與老化有何關聯？
- Which women aged faster according to the study? 哪些女性老化速度較快？
- How many women’s health data were analysed? 研究分析了多少名女性的健康數據？
- What health benefits may fewer pregnancies bring? 少量懷孕可能帶來哪些健康好處？
- Why might mothers live longer? 為什麼母親可能壽命更長？
