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Sure, STDs might be at an all-time high. And yes, the CDC recently came out and asked people not to reuse their condoms. But despite unsafe and unsanitary sex practices which include half of adults over 40 not using condoms, research has found the more sex you have, the longer you will live.
That’s the word from two recent independent studies that concluded those who got freaky more often lead healthier and longer lives.
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In the first study, 918 healthy Welsh men between the ages of 45 to 59 were surveyed on their sexual habits. A decade later, those same men were again quizzed on their sexual frequency. The research concluded those who had sex at least twice a week had half the death rate of those who had sex once or less a week.
The second study had similar findings. U.S. researchers quizzed 129 women between the ages of 20 and 50 about their love lives and concluded that those who had regular sex had significantly longer telomeres (caps at the end of each strand of DNA that protect our chromosomes, which are often compared to the plastic tips at the end of shoelaces), which boosted their overall life expectancy.
Some have opposed the research, suggesting those who have sex more often are simply healthier than their counterparts, but the findings also concluded getting down and dirty more frequently also helps boost the immune system by increasing the production of natural killer cells that fight diseases. Another theory is that frequent romps also trigger the release of oxytocin — the so-called cuddle hormone — which has previously been linked to better health.
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Either way, the next time your significant other says they’re “too tired” to get their freak on, just remind them that their abstinence is the reason why you’re both going to die soon.
