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Castration is a recipe for a long life for a man
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
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A team of researchers from the Korea University in Incheon has discovered a way to significantly increase the life expectancy of men.
However, the representatives of the strong half of humanity themselves are unlikely to be very happy about the discovery of scientists when they learn that this method is castration.
It turns out that it's all about testosterone. This hormone makes a man's figure more muscular, but at the same time has a negative impact on life expectancy.
According to experts, it is possible to extend the life of men by almost two decades by depriving them of testosterone supply, or, in simpler terms, castration.
"These findings are very important for understanding why there is a difference in life expectancy between men and women," said Professor Qing-Jin Min. "Further research in this area will try to clarify the extent to which testosterone affects life expectancy in humans."
Experts have analyzed the phenomenon of the longevity of court eunuchs, whose life expectancy was twenty years longer than that of their contemporaries.
This is evidenced by genealogical records of eunuchs who lived at the court of the Korean kings of the Joseon Dynasty, which ruled the peninsula from the 13th to the 20th centuries.
There are not many records that reliably confirm the dates of birth and death of eunuchs - only 81. Researchers compared their lives with the lives of men of the same social status at that time.
On average, eunuchs outlived their fellow countrymen by 14-19 years, and there were also long-livers among them, living to the age of 100.
Experts rule out the fact that eunuchs lived in the palace, which means that this could have been a key factor in their longevity, because royals and members of their families lived the shortest lives – they usually died at the age of 40.
Of course, scientists cannot state that castration will ensure a man a long life, however, during the reign of the Korean emperors, this was exactly how things were.
It will probably be difficult to find a man in the modern world who would agree to “buy” himself a dozen extra years of life at such a price. However, scientists hope that thanks to this knowledge, science will be able to find alternative ways to solve the problem of longevity without resorting to such radical methods as castration.
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