In a incredible study correlating overall male health with ejaculation 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 Have Shown
– 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 orgasming three or more times a week, men reduced their risk of heart attack or stroke by half. Co-author of the study, Shah Ebrahim, Ph.D., commented, “The relationship found between frequency of sexual intercourse and mortality is of considerable public interest.”
– 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 men who have orgasms 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 ejaculation.
