New research suggests that sexual activity lowers men’s prostate cancer risk. The study was published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology.
Of the men surveyed, about half had been diagnosed with prostate cancer between September 2005 and August 2009 and the other half were part of a healthy control group.
Canadian scientists analyzed questionnaires from more than 3,200 men and found that men who had sex with more than 20 women decreased their risk for prostate cancer by 28%.
In addition, men who had sexual relations with more than 20 women experienced 19% reduction in diagnosis with aggressive types of prostate cancer.
The research also found that men who claimed to never have had sexual intercourse were nearly twice as likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer.
The study results reinforce studies from 2003 and 2004 suggesting that frequent ejaculation can protect against prostate cancer.
Researchers do not suggest that men should engage in indiscriminate sex with a range of partners. Prior research indicates that ejaculation frequency, not the number of sexual partners, is the key factor in decreasing prostate cancer risk.
Physicians already knew that certain factors influence men’s prostate cancer risk, such as family history, race, and diet; science is increasingly blaming inflammation in cancer development. An earlier study indicated that when men don’t ejaculate often, inflammatory cells can gather in the seminal vesicles adjacent to the prostate gland, which over time may lead to cancer.
The new research from Canada doesn’t specifically address this theory and it doesn’t prove that having more sex or more partners prevents prostate malignancies. It establishes a robust association that needs to be validated in future studies.
Scientist have for a long time known that regular sexual activity offers meaningful health benefits. Sexual intercourse is also proven to reduce stress and promote clearer thinking.
