A new study shows that women may live longer if they have sex more often, thanks to the heart-healthy benefits of this intimate act.
Research published recently in the Journal of Psychosexual Health found that women aged 20 to 59 who had sex infrequently, less than once a week, were at a 70% higher risk of mortality than all the causes.
Researchers at Walden University in Minnesota analyzed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey of 14,542 adults over the age of 20 and concluded that women could benefit from having sex more than once every seven days. .
"Sexual activity," the authors write, "is important for overall cardiovascular health, possibly due to reduced heart rate variability and increased blood flow."
The team also found that depression, when combined with low sexual frequency, resulted in a higher risk of mortality. "Depression in sexually active people, especially women had much less harmful effects," said author Srikanta Banerjee.
"Depression is something that leads to increased mortality due to health outcomes," she explained, suggesting that the endorphins released by sex may be the key to preventing negative health outcomes.
Where women may benefit most from sex, however, it appears men may benefit least. Researchers found that excessive sex can increase men's mortality risk by sixfold, compared to women.
"This indicates that sexual frequency interacts with gender to increase mortality," the researchers said.
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Source: New York Post
