Men who want to reduce their risk of developing a common cancer should masturbate and have sex more, research suggests.
A new review of existing studies dating back 30 years found that the more often men ejaculate, the less likely they are to develop prostate cancer.
The researchers recommended climaxing 21 times a month because the literature suggested it reduced the risk of disease by a third.
Although the exact mechanism is not well understood, experts believe that increased blood flow to the prostate may help remove carcinogens from semen and other fluids.
A major review has suggested that masturbation may reduce the risk of prostate cancer, the most common form of the disease in American men.
The findings come at a time when the United States is seeing a rise in prostate cancers, including the recent deaths of OJ Simpson and Dexter Scott King, son of Martin Luther King Jr.
“The recommendation of routine ejaculation, particularly among specific age groups, presents an opportunity for proactive management of prostate health,” the team wrote.
The review, published earlier this summer in the journal Clinical genitourinary canceranalyzed 11 studies with nearly 150,000 participants in total. The studies were conducted between 1990 and 2023.
All of the included studies examined the potential link between ejaculation and prostate cancer.
Some had just 40 participants, while others had thousands of volunteers. The men studied ranged in age from 20 to 80.
Of the studies reviewed, one of the most promising came from Harvard Medical School.
Participants in the Harvard Health Professionals Follow-up Study were mostly white health care professionals between the ages of 46 and 81.
Men were asked how many times they ejaculated per month during their 20s, 40s, and in the most recent year.
The team found that men who climaxed 21 or more times a month had a 31 percent lower risk of prostate cancer than those who climaxed only four to seven times a month.
The most recent study on the subject, published last year in World Men’s Health Magazinefocused on men aged 40 to 80 who were interviewed about their sexual habits when they were 20, 30, 40 and the previous year.
Researchers found that men who ejaculated at least four times a month had the lowest risk of prostate cancer compared to those who did so less frequently.
It’s still unclear exactly how masturbation may reduce prostate cancer risk, but experts believe it could be due to increased blood flow to the prostate, a walnut-sized organ found only in men.
Located between the base of the penis and the rectum, the prostate produces a fluid that mixes with sperm to help it travel and survive.
The extra blood flow that occurs during masturbation can bring vital oxygen and nutrients that help remove waste products associated with cancer. In addition, ejaculation can help remove harmful carcinogens that can build up in semen.
TO 2016 Study A Boston University study included in the review also suggested that frequent ejaculation stimulates changes in prostate tissues responsible for cells producing more quickly and creating more citrate, a compound that has been shown to kill prostate cancer cells.
However, the first study, from 1990, showed no relationship between ejaculation, masturbation, contraceptive use, STDs and prostate cancer.
OJ Simpson (left) died of prostate cancer in April, just two months after announcing his diagnosis. Dexter Scott King, son of Martin Luther King Jr, succumbed to the disease in January at age 62.
The review had several limitations, mainly because it relied on self-reported data on ejaculation and other sexual behaviors.
“Despite these challenges, the clinical relevance of the findings cannot be overstated,” the researchers wrote.
‘The emerging connection between ejaculation frequency and prostate health underscores the importance of incorporating sexual behavior into patient counseling and care strategies.’
Prostate cancer is the most common form of the disease in men, affecting one in eight and killing 35,000, according to the American Cancer Society.
Men over 65 are most likely to develop prostate cancer, accounting for up to 60 percent of cases. The rate is even higher among black men, one in six of whom are expected to develop the disease.
Experts have attributed the rise to a growing population of older men, among whom the condition is more common.
Prostate cancer usually causes no symptoms in its early stages. When symptoms do appear, they often include problems urinating, loss of bladder and bowel control, painful ejaculation, and erectile dysfunction.