Parents may tell you that kids take years off your life, but a new study shows that having kids can actually increase life expectancy. The Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health claims that couples who choose to have their own children or adopt live longer than couples who don’t have kids.

Researchers looked at Danish population data on births and deaths from 1994 to 2008. Findings showed that women who had children biologically were four times less likely to die prematurely from circulatory disease, cancers and accidents, and adoptive mothers were two times less likely to suffer from these ailments, compared to childless women.

Rates of death doubled for men who didn’t become fathers whether biologically or through adoption.

 (CBS News)