A young wife good for longevity in men

The analysis was carried by the leading study group Max Planck Institute that looked at the deaths of the entire population of Denmark between 1990 and 2005.

Findings of the research
According to the research, if a man marries a woman 15 and 17 years his junior, his chances of dying early are cut by one fifth. Also, it suggests that men cut the risk of premature death by 11 percent if their wives are seven to nine years younger.

Another aspect highlighted by the study was that men who opted for older wives have an 11 percent higher chance of dying earlier.

The researchers reckon that a plausible explanation for the link between younger brides and longevity for older men could be natural selection. It is possible that younger women are attracted to healthier, stronger and more successful older men, who are naturally predisposed to longevity, as their marriage partners.

"Another theory is that a younger woman will care for a man better and therefore he will live longer," said spokesman Sven Drefahl, at the institute's headquarters in Rostock, Germany.

Age difference does not benefit women
However, the study suggests that the same luck does not favor women and they would benefit from marrying a man of the same age.

The chances of a woman dying earlier goes up 20 percent if the age difference between her and her spouse is seven to nine years and 30 percent if 15 to 17 years. This holds true for women who marry older men, too.

Celebrities with wide age difference
Among some celebrity couples that have a wide age difference are Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones, Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.