We all have that friend (or housemate) that’s known for loving self-pleasure a little too much. This is the person who retreats to the bedroom before anyone else, indulging in a regular schedule of masturbation that others can only scoff at. In all fairness, if you’re single in 2021, there are few alternatives. Spare a thought for those in NSW who have had to endure weeks of lockdown without so much as a singles bubble, simply relying on high-speed WiFi and a graphic memory of how it felt to be touched…all those many months ago. So, before you go chastising them for such habits, take a moment to read this study which suggests regular ejaculation isn’t just healthy, it’s actually necessary.
Researchers at Harvard University found that men who ejaculate at least 21 times a month could see their chances of getting prostate cancer slashed by a third, which is pretty extraordinary stuff. Published in European Urology in 2016, the study looked at 31,925 men who then filled out three questionnaires about ejaculation frequency between 1992 and 2010. The results found there was a statistically significant reduction in prostate cancer rates among men who ejaculated frequently.
According to the study’s authors, “We evaluated whether ejaculation frequency throughout adulthood is related to prostate cancer risk in a large US-based study. We found that men reporting higher compared to lower ejaculatory frequency in adulthood were less likely to be subsequently diagnosed with prostate cancer. These findings provide additional evidence of a beneficial role of more frequent ejaculation throughout adult life in the ethology of PCa [prostate cancer], particularly for low-risk disease.”
???? "1 in 8 men will get prostate cancer, that's one man in every scrum."
— Prostate Cancer UK (@ProstateUK) July 24, 2021
Former British & Irish Lions captain, Sam Warburton and his twin Ben know looking out for friends and family can make all the difference.
Check your risk and share with your mates: https://t.co/hEm3w6yhDl pic.twitter.com/PVIpLQetks
Remarkably, it’s not the first study that has shown a link between masturbation and reduced risk of cancer. As early as 2003, Australian researchers questioned more than 1,000 men with prostate cancer and 1,250 men without about their sexual habits. They found that those who had ejaculated the most between the ages of 20 and 50 were least likely to develop cancer. Graham Giles of the Cancer Council Victoria in Melbourne, who also led the research team, told New Scientist: “It’s a prostatic stagnation hypothesis. The more you flush the ducts, the less there is to hang around and damage the cells that line them.”
Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer diagnosed in men in Australia and the third most common cause of cancer death. The Cancer Council estimates that 18,110 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed in Australia in 2021. One in six men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer by the age of 85, with the disease being more common in older men with over 63 per cent of cases diagnosed in men over the age of 65. Still, the fact that regular ejaculation can go a long way in fighting against prostate cancer is only good news. Doctor’s orders eh, fellas.
