Women who have twins tend to be healthier and longer-living than average, a study has found.

They also appear to be more fertile, with a longer reproductive age and a greater likelihood of giving birth.

Scientists based the findings on population records for more than 58,700 women from Utah, US, born between 1807 and 1899. Of the total, 4,603 had given birth to twins.

The study showed that for women born before 1870, mothers of twins were 7.6 per cent less likely to die each year after the age of 50. Twinning women born between 1870 and 1899 had a non-significant 3.3 per cent reduced risk of dying.

“Having twins will not make you stronger or healthier, but stronger, healthier women are more likely to have twins naturally,” said study leader Shannen Robson, from the University of Utah. The findings are published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

“People are always interested in what affects how long we are going to live,” said co-author Ken Smith, professor and director of the University of Utah’s Pedigree and Population Resource, which manages the Utah Population Database.

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