One reason to remove manhood? To live longer, says study

SEOUL -- There may be at least one reason for men to remove their manhood, according to the outcome of a study released Tuesday, supporting a widely published theory that male hormones may be a cause of men's shorter lifespans than those of females.

There, of course, may be other ways to prolong one's lifespan without having to remove his manhood -- simply by removing or controlling his male hormones.

Men have an average lifespan that is about ten percent shorter than that of females, and such a phenomenon is witnessed in all species of mammals, according to the study by a group of South Korean scientists.

Castration in male animals often, if not always, leads to longer lifespans, strongly supporting the theory that male hormones may contribute to how long one lives.

The same could not be said of human males, mainly due to a lack of means to test such a theory, only until now.

According to the study, compiled by Professor Lee Cheol-koo of Seoul's Korea University and Professor Min Kyung-jin of the Inha University, Korean eunuchs under the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) lived significantly longer than other contemporary males.

The study showed the average lifespan of 81 eunuchs studied was 70 years while the average lifespan of males from even the wealthiest noble class was at less than 56 years.

Such a finding supports the theory that male hormones shorten men's lifespans, the researchers said.

"This could lead to new studies on ways to block or intercept male hormones that, in turn, could lead to the development of anti-aging agents," Min was quoted as saying by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, which partly funded the study.

Min and Lee's joint paper, titled "The Lifespan of the Korean Eunuch," was published Tuesday in the latest edition of the international journal Current Biology. (PNA/Yonhap)