Somewhat to my consternation, I learned that it takes balls to live a shorter life.
Again and again in the animal world, males have shorter lifespans than females, an effect scientists attribute in part to the deleterious effects of testosterone.
Now researchers who looked at historical records of Korean eunuchs castrated during boyhood found that the eunuchs lived considerably longer than ordinary, testicled men.
“Our study supports the idea that male sex hormones decrease the lifespan of men,” wrote researchers led by biologist Kyung-Jin Min of Korea University in a study published Sept. 24 in Current Biology.
Lovely.
Well, for years veterinarians have been telling us that male dogs live longer if we castrate them. And many times I have been told that if I give up this, or give up that, I’ll live longer.
Sorry, but there are some things I won’t give up.
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5 responses to “If you want to live longer, you might have to give up a couple of things”
I’m conflicted… I don’t really use mine for anything.
That is why married men live longer, they’ve been emasculated.
I have desire for an extra decade as a flabby old woman.
So all these late night tv ads about increasing testosterone are liability lawsuits waiting to happen?
I had a Siamese Tabby mix named Tiger who frequently came home tore up from fighting with lord knows what. One day, his foreleg was injured and swollen up so I took him to the local vet to get fixed up.
She drained his leg and talked me into getting him neutered, the rational being this would stop the midnight prowling and cat fights.
So I bring him home after the proceedure. It was awful, the painful way he walk stiff legged around the house.
Soon as the pain subsided a bit and he got to feeling normal, the cat comes into my room. Couldn’t jump up on the bed, so he’s standing in the middle of the room with a full awareness of me being there as an observer, and he pisses right there on the floor.
Anyone who owns a cat knows how bizarre a behavior that is. It goes against their whole nature of modesty in toilet habits.
The next day Tiger went missing. Found him in the road squished flat as a pancake.
One thing about living on a busy street, pet cats learn early to stay out of the road or they don’t survive long. Tiger was 6 years old.
I interpret his death as suicide.