Study: Men with Interest in Sex Live Longer
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Middle-aged and older men with no interest in sex tend to die earlier than those with a love life, according to a report in Japan that examines the link between sex and longevity for the first time.
Scientists at Yamagata University conducted a nine-year study that tracked around 21,000 participants in various areas, including their medical histories and stress levels. The participants, both men and women, came from seven cities across Yamagata Prefecture and were all 40 or older.
The research team, led by medical school professor Dr. Kaori Sakurada, determined that 8.3 percent of the more than 8,500 men and 16.1 percent of the roughly 12,400 women who took part had no interest in the opposite sex. A total of 356 men and 147 women died during the nine-year research study.
By examining the data, Sakurada’s team found that 9.6 percent of the men who expressed no interest in the opposite sex died over nine years. However, a mere 5.6 percent who had said they were still interested in women died over the same time period.
The study, published in December by the US online science journal Plos One, concluded: “Compared to participants who had sexual interest, those who lacked sexual interest included significantly higher percentages of those who currently smoked, drank in the past, were psychologically distressed, laughed relatively infrequently, and had lower educational attainment.”
After adjusting for age, health, education, marital status, frequency of laughter, and stress levels, the risk of all-cause mortality was “significantly greater in males who lacked sexual interest than in males who had sexual interest”, the study said. It added that in men, a lack of sexual interest showed an increased risk for cancer mortality.
“Precisely how a lack of sexual interest impacts on health and longevity remains unknown, although several possibilities can be considered,” the study said, adding that male lack of interest may be related to unhealthy lifestyles, such as smoking, drinking and diabetes.
In contrast, however, the study found no link in the female subjects between sexual interest and the risk of death.
It concluded that encouraging men to sustain their interest in the opposite sex may increase their lifespan.
“Taking interest in the people around you, including the opposite sex, and interacting with them could help you remain mentally sound and have something to live for,” Sakurada said in an interview with the Asahi newspaper.
“Communicating with those of the opposite sex, however old you are, could help you live longer.”
Reference: Plos One
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