From Forbes.com:Fans of abstinence had better be sitting down.
"Saving yourself" before the big game, the big business deal, the big
hoedown or the big bakeoff may indeed confer some moral benefit. But
corporeally it does absolutely zip. There's no evidence it sharpens
your competitive edge. The best that modern science can say for sexual
abstinence is that it's harmless when practiced in moderation. Having
regular and enthusiastic sex, by contrast, confers a host of measurable
physiological advantages, be you male or female. (This assumes that
you are engaging in sex without contracting a sexually transmitted disease.)
In one of the most credible studies correlating overall health with
sexual frequency, Queens University in Belfast tracked the mortality
of about 1,000 middle-aged men over the course of a decade. The study
was designed to compare persons of comparable circumstances, age and
health. Its findings, published in 1997 in the British Medical Journal,
were that men who reported the highest frequency of orgasm enjoyed a
death rate half that of the laggards. Other studies (some rigorous,
some less so) purport to show that having sex even a few times a week
has an associative or causal relationship with the following:
- Improved sense of smell: After sex,
production of the hormone prolactin surges. This in turn causes
stem cells in the brain to develop new neurons in the brain's olfactory
bulb, its smell center.
- Reduced risk of heart disease: In a
2001 follow-on to the Queens University study mentioned above, researchers
focused on cardiovascular health. Their finding? That by having
sex three or more times a week, men reduced their risk of heart
attack or stroke by half. In reporting these results, the co-author
of the study, Shah Ebrahim, Ph.D., displayed the well-loved British
gift for understatement: "The relationship found between frequency
of sexual intercourse and mortality is of considerable public interest."
- Weight loss, overall fitness: Sex, if
nothing else, is exercise. A vigorous bout burns some 200 calories--about
the same as running 15 minutes on a treadmill or playing a spirited
game of squash. The pulse rate, in a person aroused, rises from
about 70 beats per minute to 150, the same as that of an athlete
putting forth maximum effort. British researchers have determined
that the equivalent of six Big Macs can be worked off by having
sex three times a week for a year. Muscular contractions during
intercourse work the pelvis, thighs, buttocks, arms, neck and thorax.
Sex also boosts production of testosterone, which leads to stronger
bones and muscles. Men's Health magazine has gone so far as to call
the bed the single greatest piece of exercise equipment ever invented.
- Reduced depression: Such was the implication
of a 2002 study of 293 women. American psychologist Gordon Gallup
reported that sexually active participants whose male partners did
not use condoms were less subject to depression than those whose
partners did. One theory of causality: Prostoglandin, a hormone
found only in semen, may be absorbed in the female genital tract,
thus modulating female hormones.
- Pain-relief: Immediately before orgasm,
levels of the hormone oxytocin surge to five times their normal
level. This in turn releases endorphins, which alleviate the pain
of everything from headache to arthritis to even migraine. In women,
sex also prompts production of estrogen, which can reduce the pain
of PMS.
- Less-frequent colds and flu: Wilkes
University in Pennsylvania says individuals who have sex once or
twice a week show 30% higher levels of an antibody called immunoglobulin
A, which is known to boost the immune system.
- Better bladder control: Heard of Kegel
exercises? You do them, whether you know it or not, every time you
stem your flow of urine. The same set of muscles is worked during
sex.
- Better teeth: Seminal plasma contains
zinc, calcium and other minerals shown to retard tooth decay. Since
this is a family Web site, we will omit discussion of the mineral
delivery system. Suffice it to say that it could be a far richer,
more complex and more satisfying experience than squeezing a tube
of Crest--even Tartar Control Crest. Researchers have noted, parenthetically,
that sexual etiquette usually demands the brushing of one's teeth
before and/or after intimacy, which, by itself, would help promote
better oral hygiene.
A happier prostate? Some urologists believe they see a relationship
between infrequency of ejaculation and cancer of the prostate. The causal
argument goes like this: To produce seminal fluid, the prostate and
the seminal vesicles take such substances from the blood as zinc, citric
acid and potassium, then concentrate them up to 600 times. Any carcinogens
present in the blood likewise would be concentrated. Rather than have
concentrated carcinogens hanging around causing trouble, it's better
to evict them. Regular old sex could do the job. But if the flushing
of the prostate were your only objective, masturbation might be a better
way to go, especially for the non-monogamous male. Having sex with multiple
partners can, all by itself, raise a man's risk of cancer by up to 40%.
That's because he runs an increased risk of contracting sexual infections.
So, if you want the all the purported benefits of flushing with none
of the attendant risk, go digital. A study recently published by the
British Journal of Urology International asserts that men in their 20s
can reduce by a third their chance of getting prostate cancer by ejaculating
more than five times a week.
While possession of a robust appetite for sex--and the physical ability
to gratify it--may not always be the cynosure of perfect health, a reluctance
to engage can be a sign that something is seriously on the fritz, especially
where the culprit is an infirm erection.
Dr. J. Francois Eid, a urologist with Weill Medical College of Cornell
University and New York Presbyterian Hospital, observes that erectile
dysfunction is extension of vascular system. A lethargic member may
be telling you that you have diseased blood vessels elsewhere in your
body. "It could be a first sign of hypertension or diabetes or increased
cholesterol levels. It's a red flag that you should see your doctor."
Treatment and exercise, says Dr. Eid, can have things looking up again:
"Men who exercise and have a good heart and low heart rate, and who
are cardio-fit, have firmer erections. There very definitely is a relationship."
But is there such a thing as too much sex?
The answer, in purely physiological terms, is this: If you're female,
probably not. If you're male? You betcha.
Dr. Claire Bailey of the University of Bristol says there is little
or no risk of a woman's overdosing on sex. In fact, she says, regular
sessions can not only firm a woman's tummy and buttocks but also improve
her posture.
Dr. George Winch Jr., an obstetrician/gynecologist in Elko, Nev., concurs.
If a woman is pre-menopausal and otherwise healthy, says Dr. Winch,
her having an extraordinary amount of intercourse ought not to pose
a problem. "I don't think women can have too much intercourse," he says,
"so long as no sexually transmitted disease is introduced and there's
not an inadvertent pregnancy. Sometimes you can have a lubrication problem.
If you have that, there can be vaginal excoriation--vaginal scrape."
Women who abstain from sex run some risks. In postmenopausal women,
these include vaginal atrophy. Dr. Winch has a middle-aged patient of
whom he says: "She hasn't had intercourse in three years. Just isn't
interested. The opening of her vagina is narrowing from disuse. It's
a condition that can lead to dysparenia, or pain associated with intercourse.
I told her, 'Look, you'd better buy a vibrator or you're going to lose
function there.'"
As for men, urologist Eid says it's definitely possible to get too much
of a good thing, now that drugs such as Viagra and Levitra have given
men far more staying power than may actually be good for them.
The penis, says Eid, is wonderfully resilient. But everything has its
limits. Penile tissues, if given too roistering or prolonged a pummeling,
can sustain damage. In cases you'd just as soon not hear about, permanent
damage.
"Yes," says Dr. Eid, "It is possible for a young man who is very forceful
and who likes rough sex, to damage his erectile tissue." The drugs increase
rigidity; moreover, they make it possible for a man to have second and
third orgasms without having to wait out intermission.
"I see it in pro football players," says Eid. "They use Viagra because
they're so sexually active. What they demand of their body is unreasonable.
It's part of playing football: you play through the pain." This type
of guy doesn't listen to his body. He takes a shot of cortisone, and
keeps on going. And they have sex in similar fashion."
There's a reason the penis, in its natural state, undergoes a period
of flaccidity: That's when it takes a breather. The blood within it
is replenished with oxygen. "During an erection," explains Eid, "very
little blood flows to the penis. During thrusting, pressure can go as
high as 200 mil of water. Zero blood flows into penis at that time."
To absorb oxygen, the tissue must become relaxed. "If you do not allow
the penis to rest, then the muscle tissue does not get enough oxygen.
The individual gets prolonged erections, gets decreased oxygen to tissue,
and could potentially suffer priapism." (We recommend you get a medical
encyclopedia and look it up.) "The muscle becomes so engorged, it's
painful. Pressure inside starts to increase. Cells start dying. More
pressure and less blood flow. Eventually the muscle dies. Then there's
scarring. That's why it's considered an emergency."
Alan Farnham
Resources
Masturbation 'cuts cancer risk'