Masturbating might slash risk of prostate cancer, claims expert (and more is better!)

When it comes to reducing your risk of prostate cancer, eating more vegetables or joining a gym might immediately come to mind.

But, according to one expert, there’s something else that might help: masturbating.

Dr Daniel Kelly of Sheffield Hallam University, who has carried out numerous studies on the prostate, said there is “evidence” to support this theory.

A Harvard University study found that men who ejaculated 21 times a month were up to a third less likely to be struck down by the disease, compared to men who only did it between four and seven times a month. month.

The results, from 2016, held regardless of whether a man reached orgasm through masturbation or sex.

Frequent ejaculation, Dr. Kelly wrote in an article for The Conversation, “will do no harm” and “should therefore be part of a man’s healthy lifestyle.”

Researchers aren’t sure exactly why ejaculation may help protect against prostate cancer.

Dr. Kelly wrote: “Although the mechanisms are not completely understood, these studies are consistent with the idea that ejaculation may reduce prostate cancer by decreasing the concentration of toxins and crystal structures that can occur. accumulate in the prostate and potentially cause tumors.

“Similarly, ejaculation can alter the immune response within the prostate, thereby reducing inflammation – a known risk factor for cancer development – ​​or increasing immune defense against tumor cells.

“Alternatively, by reducing psychological tension, ejaculation may decrease nervous system activity, which prevents some prostate cells from dividing too quickly and increases the risk that they will become cancerous.”

One in eight men will develop prostate cancer at some point in their lives, charities say. In Britain, more than 52,000 men are diagnosed each year.

But thousands of people are diagnosed after the cancer has already spread, making it the second leading cause of cancer death in men after lung cancer.

Experts agree that early detection is key to increasing survival rates.

However, in the absence of a national screening program, progress has been slow in reducing the numbers.

In January, an analysis of 11 studies published over the past three decades also found that seven reported a beneficial effect of ejaculation on prostate cancer risk.

Writing in the journal Clinical Genitourinary Cancer, the scientists said: “The emerging link between ejaculation frequency and prostate health highlights the importance of integrating sexual behavior into counseling and healthcare strategies patients. »

Contrary to years of research, experts now believe that men with low testosterone levels are at increased risk of prostate cancer and worse outcomes.

And since testosterone is known to increase libido, a man with low levels may not have the same desire for sexual activity.

Dr. Kelly wrote: “It may therefore be that testosterone reduces a man’s risk of prostate cancer and additionally boosts his motivation to engage in sexual activity.”

He added: “Sexual activity and ejaculation have benefits beyond the prostate, including positive effects on the heart, brain, immune system, sleep and mood.

“So while the link between ejaculation frequency and prostate cancer is not fully understood and there is a real need for further research, frequent ejaculation (within reason) will certainly not no harm, will probably do good and therefore should be part of a healthy lifestyle for a man.’

The risk of prostate cancer increases with age, with most cases developing in men aged 50 or over, according to the NHS.

Symptoms may include the need to urinate more often, waiting longer to urinate, erectile dysfunction, blood in the urine, weight loss, or any new and unexplained lower back pain.

Celebrities to have been diagnosed with prostate cancer include Stephen Fry, who said he was “stunned” after discovering he had the disease in 2018.

In 2022, musician Jools Holland revealed that he had been successfully treated for prostate cancer after a diagnosis in 2014.

In August, Prostate Cancer UK also announced that referrals for the disease had reached a record high last year – up 17 per cent – ​​thanks to the ‘Bill Turnbull effect’.

They said they believed the deaths of the ambassador and presenter had encouraged men to seek testing.