A new study has found that castrated men—specifically, eunuchs—seem to outlive other men by nearly two decades.
The Chosun Dynasty, which ruled Korea from 1392 to 1897, kept records of 81 eunuchs’ lives and found their average lifespan to be about 70 years. Compared to other men from the time of similar social rank, researchers found the eunuchs tended to outlive their counterparts by 14 to 19 years. They noted that three of the 81 even lived past 100 years old.
While the study does not prove that castration directly increases human longevity, it does support previous research that male sex hormones may have an adverse effect on the immune system.
