"Do You Age Less If You Don't Have Children?"... Kim Hye-soo and Uhm Jung-hwa: The Surprising Truth Behind Their Youthful Looks [Health Talk]

[Financial News] The belief that "you age less if you do not have children" has become widely accepted online as though it were established fact.
Baek Ji-yeon recently introduced studies on the relationship between marriage, childbirth and health on her YouTube channel. She said, "There are many comments online saying, 'You do not age if you do not have children, like Kim Hye-soo or Uhm Jung-hwa,' but the actual research data tell a different story."
According to the research cited by Baek Ji-yeon, marriage has a statistically positive effect on life expectancy for both men and women. Married men were found to live about eight years longer than single men, while married women lived about five years longer than single women.
Referring to photos of Kim Hye-soo looking stunning and Uhm Jung-hwa showing off her toned abs, Baek Ji-yeon said, "People comment, 'As expected, women do not age if they do not have children.'" She emphasized, "In fact, whether someone gives birth or gets married is not what matters. What matters is whom you live with and how you live."

The medical community explains the relationship between childbirth and aging in terms of biological mechanisms, rather than treating it as merely a matter of visible changes in appearance.
Pregnancy and childbirth trigger rapid hormonal changes and high levels of oxidative stress in a woman's body. Studies of telomeres, the chromosome-end regions that help determine cellular lifespan, have reported that cell division temporarily accelerates in women who have given birth, shortening genetic markers of aging.
The field of forensic medicine has also pointed to statistical evidence that, during periods when nutritional conditions were poor, having many children increased women's risk of premature death and physical frailty.
However, large-scale cohort epidemiological studies in modern medicine point in a different direction. A study that followed 620,000 Asians found that women who had never given birth faced a roughly 43% higher risk of premature death than women who had given birth. Unmarried people also had a 62% higher risk of death than married people.
A long-term follow-up study of more than 730,000 cancer patients in the United States likewise found that the mortality rate among married patients was about 20% lower than among unmarried patients. Increased rates of early screening, dietary management and emotional bonds through interactions with spouses and family members directly contribute to chronic disease management and immune-system stability.

Childbirth and breastfeeding also serve as key protective mechanisms that suppress hormone-related diseases specific to women.
During pregnancy and breastfeeding, ovulation stops, reducing the period of continuous exposure to estrogen, a female sex hormone. This biological mechanism significantly lowers the risk of estrogen-dependent tumors, including breast, ovarian and endometrial cancers.
Differences can be seen not only in physical effects but also in mental health and markers of brain aging. Stable emotional bonds within a family community lower levels of chronic stress hormones such as cortisol and act as a buffer against depression and cognitive decline, including the risk of dementia, caused by social isolation in old age. In turn, this creates a positive cycle that benefits the activation of neural networks and the maintenance of cardiovascular health.

Experts point out that concluding, based solely on external indicators such as wrinkles or changes in body shape among celebrities, that "whether someone gives birth determines aging" distorts the scientific causal relationship.
The key to maintaining skin elasticity and physical vitality, including basal metabolic rate, is not whether someone has given birth. Instead, it lies in sun protection, managing body fat percentage, and, above all, regular resistance training and a balanced, antioxidant-rich diet.
Specialists said, "The main causes of rapid aging after childbirth are not pregnancy itself but acquired factors such as sleep deprivation, irregular meals, muscle loss amid hormonal imbalance and the stress of raising children." They advised, "Rather than being trapped in the simplistic framework of whether someone has given birth, proactive lifestyle management—including maintaining lean body mass through strength training and establishing a regular biological rhythm—is the practical key to preventing cellular aging."
[email protected] Moon Young-jin Reporter