Having babies late prolongs life

A new study published yesterday claimed to have discovered a remarkable link between late motherhood and long life.

Researchers looked in depth at the life spans of families in Finland, tracing the generations back to the 18th century, and discovered that women who gave birth to their first children later lived longer.

They found that daughters inherited certain reproductive traits from their mothers. These included the number of children raised to adulthood and the age at which they had their first child.

During analysis of this life-span data, the researchers found that women who delayed childbirth, or waited longer between births, tended to live longer.

Alice Papiransky, a 42-year-old mother of three from Ellon, Aberdeenshire, said yesterday she was convinced the birth of her youngest daughter three years ago is entirely what keeps her feeling young. She said that her toddler, Jordan, who was born 21 years after her first child, Scott, was her "ray of sunshine" and looking after her had given her a new lease of life.

Mrs Papiransky added: "I don’t know if Jordan will help me live longer, but she’s certainly made me feel younger, which is a fantastic bonus."

The Finnish study claimed women who lived longer passed the gene for longevity on to their offspring, starting the trend for mothers who notched up old age.

However, the researchers added that there were also distinct advantages for a woman giving birth at a young age, including babies being generally healthier and better fed.

Men’s lifespans were unrelated to the age at which they had children. The researchers said this may illustrate the fact that a man’s reproductive fitness largely depends on his partner.

More babies are being born in Scotland but the population is still set to dwindle, the Scottish Executive said yesterday. A total of 53,954 babies were born last year, nearly 3 per cent more than in 2003.