So a study was published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, and it looked at data from over 15,000 adults in the United States. The researchers wanted to understand the trends in sexual activity over time and how sexual frequency or the amount of times you have sex might impact your mortality or death. And the resesearchers used data from the nationa; health and nutrition examination survey or NHANES that collects health information from Americans. And starting in 2005, NHANES started asking participants about their sexual activity in the past 12 months. Participants then reported how often they had vaginal or anal sex, with options ranging from never to 365 times or more. And the researchers then followed these participants for about six years on average, and they tracked who passed away and what they died from. This then allowed them to see if there was any link between sexual frequency or how often someone was sexually active and their risk of dying from any cause, as well as specific causes like heart disease and cancer. Now, here's what they found. Over that 11-year period from 2000 by the 2015. The part Between 20 to 59 years old, reported having sex at least monthly was 72%. and at least weekly, was Thirty-six percent But here's the really interesting part. The study found that participants who reported having sex 52 or more times per year, had a significantly lower risk of dying from any cause. compared to those who had sex less than once a year specificaly they had a 49% lower risk ofdying from anything and 69% lower risk of dying from cancer. whats your opinion?
The evidence from this Journal of Sexual Medicine study, based on over 15,000 U.S. adults from NHANES data, indicates a clear statistical association: people who reported having sex 52 or more times per year had a 49% lower risk of all-cause mortality and a 69% lower risk of dying from cancer compared to those who had sex less than once per year.academic.oup
Scientific Perspective
Studies consistently show that frequent sexual activity is linked to numerous health benefits, such as better cardiovascular health, improved immune function, reduced stress, and greater emotional well-being. These physiological and psychological benefits may explain the reduction in mortality risk observed in the study. Higher sexual frequency can be a marker of good overall health, better relationships, and greater social connectivity—all of which are independently associated with lower mortality rates.healthline+2
Important Caveats
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Correlation, not causation: The study does not prove that having more sex directly causes longer life or less cancer. Instead, people who are healthy and happy may simply tend to have more sex, and their health—driven by many factors—improves survival odds.academic.oup
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Confounding factors: Physical activity, diet, access to healthcare, and underlying health can influence both sexual activity and mortality outcomes. Researchers typically control for these, but some confounding always remains.academic.oup
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Population focus: The findings are robust for the sampled U.S. adults, but may not generalize identically to other cultures or populations.academic.oup
Overall Assessment
The large size and longitudinal nature of NHANES make the findings credible. Frequent partnered sexual activity, as measured here, is likely a positive health indicator. While it is one piece of the overall health puzzle, it complements other lifestyle factors in promoting longevity and well-being.pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih+2
In summary, the association between frequent sex and reduced mortality/cancer risk is strong in this data, but it should be seen as part of a broader picture of healthy living—rather than a sole predictor or cause of longevity.
- https://academic.oup.com/jsm/article-abstract/22/2/334/7924282
- https://www.healthline.com/health/healthy-sex-health-benefits
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10903655/
Yes, ejaculation is irrelevant for the purposes of the NHANES survey and the related studies on sexual frequency and health outcomes. The survey counts any instance of vaginal or anal intercourse as a sexual event, regardless of whether ejaculation occurs. What matters for inclusion is that the sexual act took place, not the physiological outcome of ejaculation.lgbtdata+2
This standardized approach ensures consistent data collection across participants, focusing on the behavior itself rather than individual variations in sexual response or completion. Thus, ejaculation does not factor into the main analysis or conclusions of these studies.
- http://www.lgbtdata.com/national-health-and-nutrition-examination-survey-nhanes.html
- https://www.cms.gov/about-cms/agency-information/omh/resource-center/hcps-and-researchers/data-tools/sgm-clearinghouse/nhanes
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4395296/
Yes, sex with prostitutes (sex workers) is included in NHANES and similar large-scale health surveys if the sexual activity falls within the survey definition—meaning penile-vaginal or anal intercourse with another person—regardless of the partner's identity or relationship to the respondent. The questions are typically worded broadly to capture all instances of these sexual acts, whether they occur with a spouse, partner, casual acquaintance, or a sex worker.lgbtdata+2
Some surveys may also ask additional questions about the number or type of partners (including sex with sex workers or exchange of money for sex) to gather more detailed behavioral or epidemiological data, but all qualifying acts are counted in the main measure of "sexual activity frequency" used in such studies.clinician+1