Having a fulfilling sex life can significantly increase a woman’s lifespan.
- A new study has shown that sex life impacts mortality in women.
- Women who have low sexual activity have a 70% higher risk of death than those who have intercourse at least once a week.
- People with depression who have very little sex also have a 197% higher risk of death than people who have sex about once a week.
Women who have low sexual activity have a 70% higher risk of death than those who have sex at least once a week, according to a new study based on data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).
Additionally, people with depression who have very little sex have a 197% higher risk of death than people who have sex about once a week.
The research included 14,542 Americans aged 20 to 59 (average age of the cohort: 46). The researchers studied the following variables in all participants: all-cause mortality, depression, frequency of sexual intercourse and obesity.
38% of participants have sex more than once a week
In addition to the two major axes cited at the beginning of the article, the researchers noted that younger people tended to have more frequent sexual intercourse.
People who had little sex tended to have high levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) in their bodies and were mostly non-smokers.
Overall, 95% of the cohort reported having sex more than 12 times in the past year, and 38% more than once a week.
“In an ethnically diverse population, we found that low sexual frequency can lead to three times higher mortality, even after accounting for demographic factors,” summarize the authors of the study.
“Sexual activity is important for cardiovascular health”
Why such a trend? Trials have already shown in the past that sexual activity reduces stress, strengthens the immune system and improves the quality of sleep, essential components of good overall health.
“Sexual activity is also important for cardiovascular health, likely due to reduced heart rate variability and increased blood flow,” complete the authors of the research.
“Public health policies should be designed taking into account the sexual variable,” they conclude.
The study “Connection Between Depression, Sexual Frequency, and All-cause Mortality: Findings from a Nationally Representative Study”was written by Srikanta Banerjee, Peter Anderson and W. Sumner Davis. Their results were published in the Journal of Psychosexual Health.
