Having children earlier in life is genetically linked to dying younger
An analysis of over 270,000 people’s genomes has found that people with genes linked to having children earlier in life are also more likely to die before the age of 76
By Chen Ly
8 December 2023
There seems to be a link between the age you have children and your lifespan
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People who are genetically predisposed to having children earlier in life are less likely to live to the age of 76, according to an analysis of more than 270,000 people’s genomes.
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Why we age is one of the biggest evolutionary mysteries. The process of natural selection might suggest that people should pass on genes that are advantageous to living longer, thus having more time to reproduce, but there has been no evidence to support this.
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One of the leading explanations for why is that the genetic mutations that favour reproducing earlier in life could also result in a lower lifespan – an idea called antagonistic pleiotropy.
“It’s because natural selection largely cares about reproduction,” says Jianzhi Zhang at the University of Michigan. “So those mutations that are beneficial for reproduction, but may be detrimental afterwards, would still be selected.”
After conducting the largest study on the genetic link between reproduction and lifespan to date, Zhang and Erping Long at the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences in Beijing have now found more convincing evidence for antagonistic pleiotropy.
