For years, prostate cancer has been one of those health topics most men would rather not think about. It’s common, serious, and frustratingly mysterious.
While doctors know genetics matter, the role everyday habits play has always been harder to pin down. But a long-running Harvard study asked a surprisingly simple question and the answer raised a few eyebrows.
The research came from the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, often referred to as the Harvard Ejaculation Survey, which began back in 1986 and tracked the health of thousands of male healthcare workers in the US.In 1992, researchers asked over 29,000 men aged between 46 and 81 to look back on their lives and report how often they ejaculated during different stages - their twenties, their forties, and the year leading up to the survey.
This included sex, masturbation, and even nocturnal emissions. Nothing was off the table.The men then continued to share health and lifestyle updates every two years until 2000, giving researchers a long-term view rather than a quick snapshot.
So what did they find? Well, despite what some might expect, frequent ejaculation wasn’t linked to a higher risk of prostate cancer. Quite the opposite, actually.
Men who ejaculated 21 or more times a month were significantly less likely to develop prostate cancer than those who averaged just four to seven times.
In fact, the most active group showed a 31 percent lower risk overall.Even after accounting for other lifestyle habits and medical testing, the results still held up.
While this doesn’t mean ejaculation is some kind of magic shield against cancer, it does suggest there’s more going on here than coincidence.The takeaway?
A healthy sex life might be doing more than boosting your mood.
It could also be playing a quiet role in protecting your prostate and it’s another reminder that the habits we build earlier in life can stick with us in ways we never expect.