New research from Michigan State University (MSU) says older men who enjoy frequent sex have a higher risk of having heart attacks and other cardiovascular problems while women of the same age experience health improvements.
“Strikingly, we find that having sex once a week or more puts older men at a risk for experiencing cardiovascular events that is almost two times greater than older men who are sexually inactive,” said Hui Liu, associate professor of sociology at MSU. Liu went on to say pleasurable sex posed an even higher risk for elderly men.
Liu suggested older men put more strain on their cardiovascular system to achieve an orgasm.
“Because older men have more difficulties reaching orgasm for medical or emotional reasons than do their younger counterparts, they may exert themselves to a greater degree of exhaustion and create more stress on their cardiovascular system in order to achieve climax,” he said in a press release.
But it's not all bad news — frequent sex still has plenty of health benefits. According to the study, women who had frequent pleasurable sex not only saw an improvement in cardiovascular health, they also were found to be less likely to develop hypertension compared to women who found sex less satisfying.
Liu attributes these positive effects to female sexual hormones released during orgasm.
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