In my last column, I gave you the lowdown on some of the health benefits of sexual expression for women. Now it’s the men’s turn.
Studying a large group of people over an extended period of time is the best way to find out how changes in health are triggered by various lifestyle modifications. Several such studies have found that sexual activity seems to have a positive effect on men’s health. For example, a study in Great Britain followed over 900 men (age 45 to 59) for 10 years. It turned out that men who had experienced two or more orgasms per week had a 50 percent lower mortality risk than those men who had orgasms less than once a month.
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Another study in North Carolina followed 252 men and women for 25 years to see what factors were important in determining life span. The researchers looked at a long list, including frequency, and past and present enjoyment, of intercourse. They found that for the men in the study, the amount of intercourse they were having predicted longevity almost as well as a crystal ball. For women, past enjoyment of intercourse was the factor most associated with longevity.
Finally, a Swedish study followed 166 men and 226 women (all were 70 years old) for five years. Some of these individuals died before their 75th birthday, and it was found that mortality was higher among men who had quit having intercourse at earlier ages. Once again, the picture was a little different for women, and no association between sexual intercourse and mortality was found for females.
For men, the old saying seems to be true: Use it or lose it—including your life. The risk of dying from a heart attack appears to be higher in men who have intercourse less than once a month as compared to more sexually active men. Let me add, though, that it is hard to say what comes first, the chicken or the egg. Do men with healthier hearts have more sex, or does more sex make men healthier?
But when looking at cancer rates, it seems clear that for men, sexual activity is on par with eating broccoli. Two recent studies showed that frequent ejaculation (either during intercourse or masturbation) reduces prostate cancer rates. One Australian study asked over 2,000 men under the age of 70 to recall how often they had orgasms in their 20s, 30s and 40s. Men who had the experience four or more times per week had about a 30 percent lower risk of developing prostate cancer than men who did less than three times per week.
Another survey of over 50,000 U.S. men (ages 40-75) also concluded that men who ejaculated more often had a lesser risk of developing prostate cancer than men who did so less often. Why this is true has yet to be discovered. It is possible that having an orgasm clears the prostate from potential carcinogenic substances. And the researchers speculate that hormones that regulate sexual function could play a factor, or that the psychological stress reduction of ejaculation is great for the body as well.
Let me finish by mentioning that the hormone oxytocin, which is released during arousal and orgasm in both men and women, may prevent breast cancer. A study of 23 Greek men with breast cancer found that fewer number of orgasms were associated with higher risk of breast cancer. And the same could be true for women. A French study of 51 women recently diagnosed with breast cancer and 95 controls found that women who had either no sex partner or only had intercourse less than once a month had a higher risk of breast cancer.
Annette Owens, MD, Ph.D., is certified by the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists. She sees clients in her Charlottesville office (cvillewellness.com) and answers questions online at LoveandHealth.info and Sexual Health.com. She has co-edited the new four-volume book, Sexual Health (Praeger).
