Mums who give birth to twins live longer

Washington: A new study from the University of Utah has suggested that women who deliver twins will live longer.

It also found that these mothers would have more children than expected, bear babies at shorter intervals over a longer time, and are older at their last births compared with non-twin-bearing mothers. The findings do not mean having twins is healthy for women, but instead that healthier women have an increased chance of delivering twins, says demographer Ken. R. Smith, senior author of the study. "Having twins will not make you stronger or healthier, but stronger, healthier women are more likely to have twins naturally," says Shannen Robson, the study``s first author. Smith adds: "The prevailing view is that the burden of childbearing on women is heavier when bearing twins. But we found the opposite: women who naturally bear twins in fact live longer and are actually more fertile." The study also found twinning is an indicator of health. "This study has been able to identify – and it``s a fairly novel result – another important factor that contributes to health and longevity in later years, namely, that women bearing twins appear to be healthier," Smith says. "That innate healthiness is contributing to their ability to have twins, and it is also contributing to their longevity." The study has been published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. ANI