Heart health
Sex is thought to strengthen the heart by increasing your heart rate and boosting blood flow.
In research published in the American Journal of Cardiology the impact of sex on cardiovascular health was examined in a study involving 1165 men over 16 years.
The researchers found that men who had sex 2 to 3 times a week were less likely to experience heart health problems compared to men who had sex less than once a month.
They also suggested that sexual activity in some forms has a physical activity component that might directly serve to protect cardiovascular health.
They also recognised that men who engage in frequent sexual activity might be more likely to be in a supportive intimate relationship which may offer extra benefits such as stress reduction and social support.
Immunity
Could a healthy sex life and a bit of romance offer some protection from colds and flu?
It’s not only the frequency of sex but the quality of your relationship, both sexual and otherwise, that can impact the quality of your health.
Married couples are thought to experience less disease, and have better prognosis after diagnosis compared to single people.
However, an unhappy marriage may result in reduced immune function.
In a study published in Psychological Reports the role of sexual frequency, the effects of romance and the quality of a relationship on immune function was investigated.
It was discovered that subjects who reported having sex once or twice a week, compared to subjects having sex more, or less often, had a 30 percent higher concentration of immunoglobulin A, is the most abundant antibody in the body that serves as the first line of defence against invading pathogens.
Whether these benefits are derived from the comfort of intimacy, the pleasure of an orgasm or the act of sex itself is uncertain. Either way, it's a lot more fun than a flu shot!
Prostate health
Did you know the quality of your sex life in your twenties may impact upon your prostate health later in life?
A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) compared differences in prostate health in men based on sexual frequency.
What they found was that 20-something men who had at least 21 ejaculations a month experienced better outcomes in terms of prostate health later in life compared to those who had 4 to 7 ejaculations per month.
This finding still held true after researchers took into account a range of lifestyle variables that may impact both sexual function and prostate health- including diet and smoking..
The researchers speculated that the link between increased sexual frequency and improved prostate health may be due to an alteration in the composition of fluid produced by the prostate or possibly due to the accompanied release of psychological tension during ejaculation.