Sex is mostly seen as a pleasurable act, even though medical experts have said repeatedly that it is medicinal and a form of exercise.
Regardless, sexual intercourse is deemed to be one of the most enjoyable acts for both men and women. However, reaching orgasm, which is a climax of sexual excitement, characterised by feelings of pleasure centered in the genitals, has been found to reduce the likelihood of men having prostate cancer.
In fact, apart from the health benefits of sex, it has been proven that reaching orgasm could improve one’s health. Despite boosting testosterone levels, it helps men and women to sleep better and reduce insomnia, while relieving them of stress, because the oxytocin hormone released in the process relieves tension and stimulates feelings of warmth and relaxation.
Also, previous studies have shown that apart from enhancing people’s sense of smell, the oxytocin hormone released during orgasm helps people’s social feel, enhance their trust and bonding with others.
Notably, men’s orgasm is complemented by ejaculation. But, interestingly, a study has shown that apart from reaching the peak of sexual enjoyment, an orgasm a day can lower a man’s risk of prostate cancer, which is one of the most common types of cancer in men and it is common in men who are about 40 years and above and its diagnosis increases with age.
A 2012 study by the World Cancer Research Fund International had shown that more than 1.1 million cases of prostate cancer are recorded in a year, which reflects the prevalence of the disease.
But according to the study, men who have more sex and ejaculate more frequently lower their risk of the disease. In fact, the study pointed out that those who ejaculate 21 times in a month significantly cut their risk of prostate cancer by 22 per cent.
Prostate on its own is a small walnut-shaped gland that produces the seminal fluid that nourishes and transports sperm.
The researchers from Harvard Medical School in the United States explained that orgasm flushes out cancer-causing chemicals from the system, giving room for a replacement by new ones. Thus, the more the orgasm a man has the more his body would have been ridden of such chemicals.
In the study, the researchers followed about 32,000 healthy men aged between 40 and 49 for 18 years. They were asked to calculate their average monthly frequency of ejaculation during the period and the previous year when they were aged between 20 to 29, 40 to 49 and in the year 1991.
The researchers also took into account factors such as diet, lifestyle and whether the participants have a history of the cancer.
The study found that when compared to those who had orgasm for four to seven times, out of whom 3,839 of the participants were diagnosed with prostate cancer, participants who had orgasms for about 21 times a month reduced their risk of having the cancer.
The researchers added that orgasm, apart from flushing out old cells, also stops the build-up of old cells that may turn cancerous.
“Another theory is that if sperm is regularly cleaned out to allow new cells to develop, it helps to flush out old cells and stop the build-up of old ones that could turn cancerous,” the researchers told Mail Online.
One of the participants, Dr. Jennifer Rider, said the results were particularly encouraging but should be interpreted with caution.
Rider said, “While these data are the most compelling to date on the potential benefit of ejaculation on prostate cancer development, they are observational data and should be interpreted somewhat cautiously.
“At the same time, given the lack of modifiable risk factors for prostate cancer, the results of this study are particularly encouraging.”
He noted further that orgasm itself has protective benefits as the hormones oxytocin and dehydroepiandrosterone are released during orgasm, adding that oxytocin has the power to lower blood pressure in women, reducing their risk for cardiovascular disease at the same time.
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