Men above 40 years who have a high sex drive tend to live longer than those with low libido, Japanese researchers have found. Middle-aged men with low libido are twice as likely to die early of cancer and heart disease, the study suggested.
Men with lower sex drives also reported lacking ikigai, a Japanese term for the reason of having a life worth living or having a “zest for life.”
Researchers from Yamagata University in Japan studied more than 20,000 people -- 8,558 men and 12,411 women -- for over a decade, to examine the connection between sexual interest and “all-cause” mortality, including cardiovascular and cancer. The study is considered among the first to examine the association between libido and mortality.
“Although sexual activity and sexual satisfaction are considered of benefit to psychological health and wellbeing in older groups, the association between sexual interest and longevity has not been investigated,” the researchers said.
The participants were asked to complete sexual interest surveys during health check-ins. Those who reported a lack of sexual interest had "smoked, drank in the past, were psychologically distressed, laughed relatively infrequently, and had lower educational attainment" the study stated. The rate of diabetes was also higher in the men who lacked sexual interest, it added.
Results showed that men over the age of 40 who had low libido were 1.94 times as likely to die from cancer and 1.36 times as likely to die of heart disease.
The researchers believe that poor lifestyle habits were a reason for the low sex drive in men. “Based on these results, we speculate that maintaining sexual interest may be related to positive psychological well-being and ‘’ especially among men,” the scientists said.
Although they could not explain the association between libido and longevity; the scientists added that a constant lack of libido can be a sign of poor habits such as smoking, drinking or overeating that raise the risk of chronic disease.
The results, however, did support the idea that a healthy sex life is a part of what leads to better overall health as the benefits of sex include better sleep, boosts the immune system, reduces depression and anxiety, and helps heart health.
Interestingly, this study found that the lack of sexual interest is not a risk factor for women, although why the findings differ with respect to gender is yet to be ascertained.
Read more: 'Sex is one of the beautiful things given by God': Pope Francis
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