The more children a woman has, the less likely her body is to succumb to the effects of aging, scientists believe.

Those who have more surviving offspring were found to have longer telomeres, a new study suggested.

Telomeres are the protective tips found at the end of each strand of DNA, and they are indicative of cellular aging.

A new study by Canadian scientists suggests having more children can slow the aging process in women

Longer telomeres are integral to cell replication, and are associated with longevity.

Researchers at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, assessed the number of children born to 75 women from two neighboring indigenous rural Guatemalan communities, and their telomere lengths.

The participants' telomere lengths were measured at two points in time, 13 years apart, through saliva specimens and buccal swabs - a way of collecting DNA from inside the cheek.

This is the first study to examine the direct association between the number of children and telomere shortening in humans over time.

Health sciences professor Pablo Nepomnaschy, who led the study, said his team's findings contradicts the life history theory, which predicts that producing a higher number of offspring accelerates the pace of biological aging.

He said: 'The slower pace of telomere shortening found in the study participants who have more children however, may be attributed to the dramatic increase in estrogen, a hormone produced during pregnancy.

Those who have more surviving offspring were found to have longer telomeres, illustrated, the study found. Telomeres are the protective tips found at the end of each strand of DNA, and they are indicative of cellular aging. Longer telomeres are integral to cell replication, and are associated with longevity

'Estrogen functions as a potent antioxidant that protects cells against telomere shortening.'

The social environment that the study participants live in may have also influenced the relationship between their reproductive efforts and the pace of aging, the scientists said.

Professor Nepomnaschy said: 'The women we followed over the course of the study were from natural fertility populations where mothers who bear numerous children receive more social support from their relatives and friends.