研究表明 養育子女能讓人壽命延長近兩年
New parents take heart – that baby keeping you up all night could be helping to extend your life.
新父母們要振作精神--那個讓你整晚睡不着覺的小傢伙可能會使你活得更久。
The claims may be met with scepticism by virtually everyone who has experienced the sleep-deprivation and stress of bringing up a child, but the scientists behind the major study are adamant that parenthood may well be the secret to a longer life.
幾乎所有曾經被小孩子吵得睡不着覺而壓力山大的人都會懷疑這一說法，但是這項大型研究背後的科學家們堅持認爲，爲人父母是長壽的祕訣。
The findings apply to men and women, the researchers claim, although fathers saw their life expectancy increase more than mothers.
研究人員聲稱，男性和女性都適用於這一發現，但是父親要比母親延壽更長一些。
Swedish health experts tracked 1.5million people and found those who had at least one child had a greater life expectancy. The reason, they suspect, is that children go on to provide vital support to their parents when they get older.
瑞典健康專家對150萬人進行了追蹤調查，發現那些至少有一個孩子的人活得更久一些。他們認爲這一現象的原因是孩子長大之後將繼續對父母們提供重要的支持。
Writing in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, the researchers said: 'Support from adult children to their ageing parents may be of importance for parental health and longevity.'
該項研究被刊載在《流行病學與公衆健康》期刊上，研究人員們表示：“對於父母們的健康和長壽來說，成年孩子對自己年邁父母的支持可能很重要。”
At 60 years old, fathers can expect to survive another 20.2 years – two years longer than men with no children, the researchers found. Meanwhile, mothers at 60 can expect to live a further 24.6 years, whereas childless women can expect another 23.1 years – a difference of 18 months.
研究人員發現，60歲時的爸爸們預計可以再活20.2年，比沒有子女的男性多兩年。與此同時，60歲的媽媽們預計可以再活24.6年，而沒有子女的女性只能再活23.1年，相差了18個月。
The scientists, from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, found the older people get, the greater the benefits of having a child.
來自斯德哥爾摩卡羅林斯卡醫學院的科學家們發現，人們越衰老，有子女的好處就越大。
At the age of 80, men with children could expect to live a further 7.7 years, while those without live, on average, seven years.
80歲時，有子女的男性預計可以再活7.7年，而無子女的男性則只能再活7年。
Mothers at the age of 80 could expect a further 9.5 years, while those without would survive an average of only 8.9 years.
有子女的媽媽們80歲時可以再活9.5年，而無子女的女性則只能再活8.9年。
