Pudgy older fathers live longer, are more attractive to the opposite sex and are better at passing on their genes than their leaner counterparts, scientists have claimed.

Becoming fatter after fatherhood due to decreasing testosterone levels may not fit the “macho” ideal, but it actually prolongs lives and strengthens immune systems, according to Richard Bribiescas, professor of anthropology and deputy provost at Yale University.

There is evidence that these men are less likely to suffer from heart attacks and prostate cancer, while a study in 2008 found that men with high metabolisms were around 50 percent more likely to die in a given year than those whose bodies burned up less energy at rest.

“Macho makes you sick,” said Bribiescas. “The Hollywood image of the swaggering, dashing man dispatching bad guys and carrying the day conjures up a perception of indestructibility.

“While men are on average larger and physically stronger than women, men have a considerable weakness.

“We have a harder time fighting off infections and illness compared with women, and...men simply do not take care of themselves.”

Bribiescas also argues that becoming more pudgy makes dads more likely to invest their time in their children rather than looking for other women, while the increased levels of fat could make them more attractive to women.

“[One] effect of lower testosterone levels is loss of muscle mass and increases in fat mass,” Bribiescas writes in his book “How Men Age: What Evolution Reveals About Male Health and Mortality.”

“This change in body composition not only causes men to shop for more comfortable trousers but also facilitates increased survivorship and, hypothetically, a hormonal milieu that would more effectively promote and support paternal investment.”

The research follows the “dad bod” trend, in which middle-aged men were praised for their doughy physiques.

科学家表示，年长体胖的男性比偏瘦的男同胞更长寿，更讨异性欢心，也更会繁育后代。

男性做了父亲以后，会因睾酮水平下降而体态发胖。老来发胖也许看起来不够爷们儿，但它的确能延长寿命、增强免疫系统，耶鲁大学副教务长兼人类学博士理查德•布比斯卡斯如是说。

有证据表明，这些身材走样的男性突发心脏病、患上前列腺癌的可能性更小。而2008年一项研究发现，在指定年度内，新陈代谢旺盛的男性比新陈代谢慢的男性死亡率高出约50%。

“强壮的身材其实不利于你的健康，”布比斯卡斯博士说，“好莱坞打造出的那些狂拽酷炫、上天入地、嫉恶如仇、拯救世界的猛男形象总给人一种男人坚不可摧的错觉。”

“虽然男性相比女性的平均体型更高大，身体也更加强壮，但是他们却有一个严重的弱点。”

“相比女性，我们男性不易抵抗感染和疾病......而且男人简直不会照顾自己。”

布比斯卡斯还指出，老爹们越胖，猎艳的可能性就越小，而投入到孩子身上的时间就越多，所以他们越发福，越讨女人喜欢。

“睾酮水平降低的影响之一就是肌肉含量减少、脂肪含量增加，”布比斯卡斯博士在《男性的衰老之旅：进化所揭示的关于男性健康和死亡的真相》一书中写道。

“这种机体成分的变化不仅会让年长男性更青睐宽松舒适的裤子，还会增强他们的生存能力。此外，年长胖男的荷尔蒙环境或许还能更有效地促使他们加大对后代的投入。”

该项研究迎合了正流行的“爸爸肚”审美风潮，即中年男人的胖身材如今越来越受到人们的喜爱。(Chinadaily.com.cn)

    Words to Learn 相关词汇

   【矮胖的】ǎipàng de pudgy short and fat or thick

    【干掉】gàndiào dispatch murder or execute