It's not an elixir we recommend, but seems that testicle removal might increase lifespan.
Kyung Jin Min of Inha University in South Korea and his colleagues scoured genealogical records of Korean eunuchs and non-castrated peers from the mid-16th to mid-19th centuries. Eunuchs had an average lifespan of 70 years ? 17 years longer than their non-castrated contemporaries.
The findings support the theory that testosterone-fuelled reproduction comes at a price. When testosterone is lacking, the body shifts amino acids used for cell proliferation to cellular defence, says Holly Brown-Borg at the University of North Dakota.
Journal reference: Current Biology, DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2012.01.012
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