This 1969 study was conducted on men in Kansas mental institutions. The insane were castrated, inter alia, for sex offences, so most of them were in their 20s to 30s. For rats neutering needs be performed before the 50th day to increase life span by 15%. The effect is mainly from slowing down metabolic rate and suppression of tumor growth; early neutering maximizes the effect.
There are other things that increase longevity, rather counter-intuitively. For example, blindness - or living mostly in the dark. It causes atrophy of the pineal gland, slowing the rate of tumor growth (in rodents). There are eusocial rodents called naked mole rats. They can live seven times longer than other rodents and do not develop cancers. Check http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2009/10/26-02.html Here you have darkness, sterility, no concerns about domination, low predation, stable environment, low-fat diet -- all of the goodies. The reward is long, eventful life in the filth of a communal nest. Nature shows the way.
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Date: 2010-10-25 07:30 pm (UTC)There are other things that increase longevity, rather counter-intuitively. For example, blindness - or living mostly in the dark. It causes atrophy of the pineal gland, slowing the rate of tumor growth (in rodents). There are eusocial rodents called naked mole rats. They can live seven times longer than other rodents and do not develop cancers. Check http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2009/10/26-02.html
Here you have darkness, sterility, no concerns about domination, low predation, stable environment, low-fat diet -- all of the goodies. The reward is long, eventful life in the filth of a communal nest. Nature shows the way.