Regular sex appears to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke in middle-aged men, according to a new UK study - news which should put a spring in the step of older men everywhere.
A University of Bristol research team polled 1,000 Welshmen, asking them questions about their levels of sexual activity. The results are published today in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.
The study attempted to determine whether sex put a man at greater risk of sudden death from stroke or heart attack. The results provide a powerful answer to those partners who suffer frequent, unexplained headaches, especially at night.
The study was set up to track the development of heart disease in almost 3,000 men, all aged between 45 and 59 when recruited to the study between 1979 and 1983. It showed that death from heart disease was more common in those repor-ting low levels of sexual activity, with no increased risk of stroke as a result of sex.
On the basis of current evidence and assuming a lifetime average of sex once a week over 50 years, only one in 580 men might die as a result of sexual exertion.
