Study Suggests Sex Is Healthier For Aging Women Than For Aging Men
Frequent, satisfying sexual activity poses cardiovascular risks for older men — but regular orgasmic sex could actually protect aging women from certain health problems, researchers announced Tuesday.
“These findings challenge the widely held assumption that sex brings uniform health benefits to everyone,” said Hui Liu, an associate professor of sociology at Michigan State University and lead author of the large-scale study.
The researchers analyzed national survey data from 2,204 people aged 47-85 for the federally funded project, publishing the results in the “Journal of Health and Social Behavior.”
Female participants who “found sex to be extremely pleasurable or satisfying” were less likely to develop hypertension than those who found less gratification in sex, researchers said.
“This may be more relevant to women than to men,” Liu said, “because men in all relationships, regardless of quality, are more likely to receive support from their partner than are women. However, only women in good quality relationships may acquire such benefits from their partner.”
The female sex hormone released during orgasm could also benefit women’s health, Liu said.
On the flipside, men who had sex once or more a week were at a higher risk of cardiovascular problems.
Read more at the Inquirer.
