Orgasm, Ejaculation can Keep Prostate Cancer Away: Study

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Recent research indicates that having an orgasm a day can reduce the chances of men developing prostate cancer later in life.

A group of researchers from the Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital have discovered that ejaculating and having an orgasm can have several benefits for men. In a report by PR Newswire, orgasms not only provide additional pleasure during sex but can also make men sleep better, give the immune system a boost and reduce a man's chances of developing heart disease and prostate cancer.

It's not the number of times one has sexual intercourse. Telegraph says men can achieve the same benefit through masturbation and performing nightly discharges.

According to Dr. David Samadi from New York's David Samadi's Prostate Cancer Center, "Prior research shows a link between the benefits of sex and prostate cancer. This research adds to the evidence that ejaculation frequency, not the number of sexual partners, is the key factor in reducing prostate cancer risk."

Sportige says the researchers asked male respondents between the ages of 20 to 29 and 40 to 49 how many times they ejaculated on a monthly basis this year and the year before. The data was used to calculate the average frequency.

Based on the respondents' answers, men who ejaculated at least 21 times a month were 22 percent less likely of developing prostate cancer.

Orgasms have been found to be beneficial for both genders. The sports publication says orgasms encourage the production of oxytocin and dehydroepiandrosterone or DHEA.

In women, oxytocin helps in reducing blood pressure while DHEA can lessen the chances of developing cancer cells in the cervix and breast areas. For the men, having orgasms no more than six times in a single month can increase the likelihood of developing breast cancer.

Jennifer Rider is one of the researchers from the Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital. Rider says that although the research points to the other benefits of orgasms, the results should be taken with a grain of salt.

"At the same time, given the lack of modifiable risk factors for prostate cancer, the results of this study are particularly encouraging," Rider said in a press release.

Next to skin cancer, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention says prostate cancer is the most common affliction for American men. Amongst Asian and Pacific Islanders, this form of cancer is the fourth most common cause of death.