A new study suggests that women who avoid sex may be putting their health at risk. Researchers found that women aged 20 to 59 who had sex less than once a week were 70% more likely to die within five years.
Blood tests showed that these women had higher levels of a protein linked to inflammation. This type of inflammation can harm healthy cells, tissues, and organs. On the other hand, women who had sex more than once a week had lower levels of this protein and no increased risk of early death.
But for men, the pattern was different. Those who had sex most often were at a higher risk of early death. The researchers believe that for women, sexual activity plays an important role in both physical and mental health.
They explained that sex may help improve heart health by reducing heart rate variability and increasing blood flow.
The study was conducted by medical researchers at Walden University in Pennsylvania. They used a large database from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), analyzing data from 14,542 men and women. The information included details on depression, obesity, ethnicity, and sexual activity.
Participants answered a question about how many times they had sex in the past year, with response options ranging from never to more than 365 times.
The data showed that 95% of people had sex at least 12 times a year, and 38% had sex at least once a week. The researchers compared this information to another CDC database on deaths, confirming their results with US National Death Index records.
One key finding was that people who had low sexual frequency and depression were 197% more likely to die compared to those who only had depression. The lead author, Dr. Srikanta Banerjee, said that people with depression who had sex frequently felt fewer negative effects from their depression.
However, this effect was only seen in women. The researchers believe depression affects men and women differently, and for women, sex may help reduce some of the harmful health impacts.
Despite differences between men and women, the researchers emphasized that regular sexual activity is linked to better overall health. However, for men, having too much sex seemed to increase the risk of early death.
The study found that men with very high sexual frequency were six times more likely to die than women with similar habits. Even after adjusting for different health and lifestyle factors, this link remained strong.
The researchers concluded that understanding sexual frequency could help address other health issues more effectively.