2024-07-29 05:45:57
Women who rarely have sex have a 70% higher risk of premature death than women who have sex at least once a week, a study found. Specifically, women who had sex less than once a week had a 197% higher risk of death than women who had sex once a week or more, especially if they suffered from depression.
Researchers at Walden University in Minnesota used data from the 2005-2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) for the study, which was recently published in the Journal of Psychosexual Health. The researchers aimed to examine the relationship between sexual frequency and all-cause mortality.
The researchers analyzed NHANES data, which included physical examination data and interview results. They extracted data from 14,542 adults (mean age 46) aged 20 to 59 living in typical homes. They looked at all-cause mortality, depression (measured using a health questionnaire), and sexual frequency (asked directly to participants) during the follow-up period through December 2015.
As a result, it was confirmed that younger participants tended to have sex more frequently. Participants who had less sex had higher levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), an inflammatory marker, never smoked, had a higher level of education, and were more likely to suffer from depression.
Ninety-five percent of participants aged 20 to 59 reported having sex 12 times a year, and 38 percent reported having sex once a week or more.
When considering sexual frequency, only female participants with lower sexual frequency showed a dose-response manner in which the risk of death from all causes increased during the follow-up period. This was not the case for males.
Women who had sex infrequently had a 70% higher risk of death during the follow-up period than women who had sex more frequently. The researchers looked separately at whether there was any association between death and sexual activity between those who had sex less than once a week and those who had sex more than once a week.
People who had sex less than once a week and had depression had a 197% higher risk of death compared to people who had depression but had sex more than once a week.
When the same analysis was done for people who had sex more than once a week, there was no association between frequency and risk of death, suggesting that once a week may be the ‘tipping point’ for achieving sexual health benefits.
Dr. Srikanta Banerjee, who led the study, told the Daily Mail that people who had more frequent sex experienced less of the detrimental effects of depression and that their depression was less severe. The findings were specific to women, and he said: “The reason sex may be more effective is because depression affects women more severely.”
Previous studies have also found significant health differences between people who have sex once a week and those who have it less often.
Health benefits of sex include helping to reduce stress and improve mood through the release of endorphins and oxytocin, as well as boosting the immune system, making the body more resistant to infection and disease.
Regular sex also improves cardiovascular health by increasing heart rate and blood circulation. It also improves sleep quality by releasing prolactin, a hormone associated with relaxation. It can also improve intimacy with your partner and strengthen your relationship, contributing to your overall emotional well-being.
“Sexual intercourse may be important for overall cardiovascular health due to decreased heart rate variability and increased blood flow,” the study authors wrote.
But there was also evidence of ‘too much of anything’. “Men who have excessive sexual activity may have a six-fold increased risk of death compared to women,” the paper wrote. The six-fold increased risk of death for men with excessive sexual activity remained unchanged despite complex statistical weighting used to offset other health, behavioral, and demographic factors.
During sex, the body releases adrenaline and cortisol into the bloodstream, which increases heart rate and blood pressure. Some studies have shown that frequent sex may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.
“These results show that sexual frequency interacts with gender to increase mortality,” the researchers concluded.
Reporter Park Hae-sik, Donga.com [email protected]
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2024-07-29 05:45:57