Frequent ejaculation lowers cancer risk, shows study

Frequent ejaculation reduces the risk of contracting prostate cancer; a meta-analysis study has shown.

The study also revealed that homosexual men are at higher risk of being diagnosed with prostate cancer than heterosexual men.

According to the study, sexual activity can affect prostate cancer pathogenesis in a variety of ways including the proposed high androgen status, the risk of sexually transmitted infection and the potential effects of retained carcinogens within the prostatic cells.

The study sampled several scientific publications on sexual activity and relation with prostate cancer between 2002 and 2017.

The study published in Research gate revealed that frequent ejaculation is thought to reduce the concentration of carcinogenic substances within the prostatic fluids or reduce production of intraluminal prostatic crystalloids.

Dr Ahmed Fouad from Harvard University who reviewed the publications believes that marrying early was significantly associated with a lower risk of getting prostate cancer.

In the study, it detected that prostate cancer patients were significantly older at the times of their first marriage compared to men who first married under the age of 25 years.

The study assessed exposure by asking for a numerical estimate of ejaculatory frequency at different ages regardless of whether these occurred from sexual intercourse or masturbation.

“From the analysis, we found that men reporting higher compared to lower ejaculatory frequency in adulthood were less likely to be subsequently diagnosed with prostate cancer,” said Dr Fouad.

This large prospective study provides the strongest evidence to date of a beneficial role of ejaculation in the prevention of prostate cancer.

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But Dr John Ong'ech, a senior gynecologist and obstetrician at Kenyatta National Hospital said practising frequent ejaculation might not be a solution to the risk of prostate cancer, he advised men check their diets.

“We are not going to go by that as the gospel truth, there are several things involved when we are talking about prostate cancer including high fat processed food intake, obesity and tobacco consumption,” Dr Ong’ech said.

“Some causes are beyond us, we can only talk of those that are within our reach, for instance, avoiding fatty foods and smoking,” he said. Dr Ong’ech pointed out that dieting, exercise, and regular checkups are the most effective ways to keep the prostate healthy.