THE TELEGRAPH: Men who have sex at least twice a week can almost halve their risk of heart disease, according to new research.
It shows men who indulge in regular lovemaking are up to 45 per cent less likely to develop life-threatening heart conditions than men who have sex once a month or less.
The study, of over 1,000 men, shows sex appears to have a protective effect on the male heart but did not examine whether women benefit too.
Now the American researchers who carried out the investigation are calling for doctors to screen men for sexual activity when assessing their risk of heart disease.
Every year, around 270,000 people in Britain suffer a heart attack, and coronary disease remains Britains biggest killer.
Although sex has long been regarded as good for physical and mental health, there has been little scientific evidence to show the full benefits that frequent intercourse can have on major illnesses such as heart disease.
In the latest study, scientists at the New England Research Institute in Massachusetts, tracked the sexual activity of men aged between 40 and 70 who were taking part in a long-term project called the Massachusetts Male Ageing Study, which began back in 1987.
At regular points over a 16-year period, each man was quizzed on how often they had sex and then checked for signs of heart disease.
Researchers took into account other risk factors, such as their age, weight, blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
The results, published in the American Journal of Cardiology, showed men who made love at least twice a week were much less likely to have heart disease than those whose sexual encounters were limited to once a month or less. Having sex twice a week 'reduces chance of heart attack by half' >>> | Friday, January 08, 2010
