绝育和避孕可以延长脊椎动物的寿命，这一成果由澳大利亚新南威尔士大学Shinichi Nakagawa团队经过不懈努力而取得。相关论文发表在2025年12月10日出版的《自然》杂志上。

从世界各地动物园和水族馆的哺乳动物物种的主题数据来看，该课题组表明持续的激素避孕和永久性手术绝育与预期寿命的增加有关。这些影响在男性和女性中都存在，尽管性别对特定死亡主题的保护不同。提高男性存活率的证据也仅限于阉割，在青春期前手术后效果更强。对已发表数据的补充荟萃分析显示，绝育提高了脊椎动物的存活率，并增加了性腺切除术后啮齿动物的健康寿命。在实验室和野外环境中，通过切除卵巢或保持卵巢完整的雌性绝育方法，存活率有所提高。据报道，被阉割的男性存活率的增加与其他物种的效果相似，而女性的存活率在永久性手术绝育后略有下降。无论动物生活在什么环境中，繁殖的荷尔蒙驱动都限制了脊椎动物成年后的生存。

据了解，据推测，生殖会限制寿命，并导致年龄上的性别差异。各种绝育和避孕方法都能抑制生殖，但根据性别、性激素如何受到影响以及物种的生活史，对这些方法如何影响生存的预测各不相同。

附：英文原文

Title: Sterilization and contraception increase lifespan across vertebrates

Author: Garratt, Michael, Lagisz, Malgorzata, Staerk, Johanna, Neyt, Christine, Stout, Michael B., Isola, Jos V. V., Cowl, Veronica B., Driver-Ruiz, Nannette, Franklin, Ashley D., McDonald, Monica M., Powell, David M., Walker, Susan L., Gaillard, Jean-Michel, Conde, Dalia A., Lematre, Jean-Franois, Colchero, Fernando, Nakagawa, Shinichi

Issue&Volume: 2025-12-10

Abstract: Reproduction is hypothesized to constrain lifespan1,2 and contribute to sex differences in ageing3,4,5. Various sterilization and contraception methods inhibit reproduction, but predictions differ for how these influence survival, depending on sex5, how sex hormones are affected4 and species life history6. Here, using data from mammalian species housed in zoos and aquariums worldwide, we show that ongoing hormonal contraception and permanent surgical sterilization are associated with increased life expectancy. These effects occur in both males and females, although the sexes are differently protected from specific causes of death. Evidence of improved survival in males is also restricted to castration, with stronger effects occurring after pre-pubertal surgery. Complementary meta-analyses of published data reveal improved survival with sterilization across vertebrates and increased healthspan in gonadectomized rodents. Improved survival occurs in laboratory and wild environments, and with female sterilization approaches that either remove the ovaries or leave them intact. Reported increases in survival in castrated men7,8,9 resemble the effects in other species, whereas survival of women is slightly decreased after permanent surgical sterilization. Thus the hormonal drive to reproduce constrains adult survival across vertebrates, regardless of the environment in which an animal resides.

DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-09836-9

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09836-9