Men with low sex drive twice as likely to die young: Study

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Holy hormones!

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A new Japanese study reveals that men who suffer from a low sex drive are almost twice as likely to die early than those engaged in carnal capers.

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PLOS One published the bonkbuster study from Yamagata University where researchers studied more than 20,000 people.

In the study group were 8,558 Japanese males and 12,411 Japanese females and their sexual habits and interests were examined over a decade. The object was to determine links between libido and “all-cause” mortality.

Examining medical records and survey responses, the study is among the first to reveal a link between libido and mortality.

“Although sexual activity and sexual satisfaction are considered of benefit to psychological health and well-being in older groups, the association between sexual interest and longevity has not been investigated,” the study authors said.

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Participants would frequently complete surveys determining their levels of sexual interest during checkups.

Those who showed a flagging interest in hormone-charged hijinks were older, drank more, often had diabetes, laughed less, and tended to have lower education and higher signs of psychological distress.

Men over 40 who reported a low libido were 1.94 times as likely to die from cancer while 1.36 times as likely to die from some form of heart disease.

The missing ingredient, according to the researchers, was a Japanese thing called ikigai — or lust for life.

But researchers stopped short of explaining why lack of libido and a shortened life was connected other than to say poor lifestyle choices likely play a role.

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“Based on these results, we speculate that maintaining sexual interest may be related to positive psychological well-being and ‘ikigai’ especially among men,” the scientists said.

As for women, the researchers said that while women are more than twice as likely to report a flatlining libido, there did not appear to be a link between female mortality.

Even after the boffins factored in smoking, boozing, weight and other health conditions, nothing changed for women.

And as has been long reported, scientists concluded that a healthy sex life leads to better health overall. This includes better sleep, a stronger immune system, less depression, and a healthier heart.

PREJUDICE ABOUT SEX

It was noted that while the study focused on a small portion of the population in a small geographic area of Japan, the findings may be moot for the rest of the planet.

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Researchers said there is “more prejudice about sex among the elderly than in the Western world” and they hope the study is the first step in promoting healthy sexuality in Japan.

“Further study is required to clarify the mechanisms which underlie the preventive effects of sexual interest on mortality,” the scientists said.

“This finding has implications for the importance of sexual interest in increasing longevity in this population.”

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