To born pikin fit shorten women lifespan? New research suggest

Wen children throw tantrums, reject dinner or refuse sleep, mama dem fit joke say di kids dey shorten years off dia lives.

But new research suggest say dis fit no dey so far from di truth for women wey dey live for harsh conditions.

Some mothers lives fit don reduce for up to six months for evri pikin dem born, na so analysis of historic records suggests, and women wey dey live in di most difficult environments appear to bear di worst of dis link.

Evolution researchers examine parish records - wey contain births and deaths in a population - of 4,684 women wey bin dey alive around di time of di Great Finnish Famine between 1866 and 1868.

Dis na one of di "most horrific famines in recent European history," na di study lead researcher, Dr Euan Young from fi University of Groningen for di Netherlands explain.

Women wey give birth during di famine see say dia life expectancy cut by six months for each pikin, na so Dr Young and im team - Prof Hannah Dugdale, Prof Virpi Lummaa and Dr Erik Postma find.

Dis fit be becos di mothers redirect huge amount of energy from repairing dia own cells to reproducing, wey leave dem wit increased risk of disease later in life, di findings suggest.

But e no get any link between woman lifespan and giving birth for those wey live bifor or after di famine.

"We only see dis trade-off with di women wey bin dey in dis reproductive period during dia life wen di famine occurr," Dr Young tok.

Dis suggest say di environment women dey live in during dia childbearing years na key factor.

Wetin make to born children dey impact lifespan?

So, why dis tin dey happun?

One explanation fit be say di long-term health effects of having children fit dey worse by harsh environmental conditions.

For long e dey known say mothers dey at a higher risk for cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, partly due to weight gain and increased physiological stress.

"Dia is also a potential explanation wia e be say na actually di act of raising, breastfeeding, pregnancy with children during dis period naim dey cause dis depletion of resources in di mother," Dr Young add.

Pregnancy and breastfeeding require a lot of energy, wey mean say during famine new mother get even less energy to maintain di bodily functions wey dey prevent her from developing diseases later in life.

"E dey possible say within dis populations, wia women dey born many, many, more children, and fit no dey get dat recovery time between each, say [health impacts] dey compound," Dr Young explain.

But, as di study examine historical data, rather than creating new data for laboratory experiment, e add say e fit no dey certain.

Di offspring-lifespan 'trade-off'

Di findings bin dey more pronounced in women wey born many children, but not all women dey affected equally, Dr Young study suggest.

"Na really dis two concepts of dis very large family sizes… and dis kind of famine events," Dr Young explain.

For decades, scientists dey wonder wetin make difference dey between species wey dey live shorter lives and produce many offspring - like mice and insects - and those wey dey live longer and have fewer - like elephants, whales and humans.

One leading theory involve di redirection of energy for cell repair for reproduction - wey dey contribute to ageing.

Modern women dey affected in di same way?

But di findings wey dem take from women 200 years ago dey applicable to mothers for di 21st Century?

"E dey important to put in context dis tin within dis historical period, wia modern healthcare regime no dey as strong as bifor,” Dr Young tok.

"During dis period, women bin dey born maybe between four or five children, much larger than di family sizes we get today."

Since di 1800s, di number of children in families don reduce seriously across di globe.

For 2023, di average woman get just over two children - dis change dey driven by growing access to education, workplace and contraceptives, as well as declining rates of child mortality.

However e get kontris - such as Niger, Chad, Somalia and South Sudan - wia women still commonly dey born at least four children.

And, in di last year, dem don declare famines in both parts of Sudan and Gaza by di UN-backed body food insecurity initiative, di Integrated Food Security Phase Classification.

While Dr Young say further work dey needed, dis suggests say e dey possible say di findings no dey as e currently dey for some parts of di world.