An Orgasm a Day Keeps the Prostate Cancer Away

A new study out of Harvard proves what horn dogs have been trying to tell us for years: orgasming doesn’t only feel good—it can make you live longer, too!

The study reveals that men who ejaculate more often during their lifetime—about 21 times a month—have a 22 percent lower risk of getting prostate cancer.

There’s some heft behind the results, too: There were 32,000 males in good health involved in the study over the course of 18 years, which makes it the largest scientific study to date on male ejaculation. To get the results, subjects chronicled and shared their monthly ejaculation practices—from masturbation to full-on sex—between the ages of 20 and 29, and 40 and 49.

The study found that “3,839 [participants] later developed prostate cancer–but the figures showed that in the 40-49 bracket, men who ejaculated more than 21 times a month had a 22 percent lower risk of developing the disease.”

The results don’t provide any solid evidence about why this is true, but it has a few hints:

It has been thought that ejaculation can rid the prostate of cancer-causing chemicals, while there are also theories that if sperm is ‘cleaned out’ in this manner it can stop a build-up of old cells that could turn cancerous.

Exciting news for us in healthy relationships—or at least with active wrists, but one of the doctors in the study, Jennifer Rider, says proceed with caution. “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.”

Caution or not, orgasming feels good and it could protect you from cancer, so … my non-health professional opinion is go to town! It is National Masturbation Month, after all.

The causes of prostate cancer are still unknown, but chances of diagnosis increase in men as they age. “According to the World Cancer Research Fund International, in 2012, there were more than 1.1 million cases of prostate cancer, making it accountable for 8 percent of all new cancer cases, and 15 percent of cancers in men.”

(h/t Mirror)