To dey ejaculate frequently dey help prevent prostate cancer?

Wen e come to men health, prostate cancer take one big place. na di second most diagnosed type of cancer for men worldwide, closely followed by lung cancer. For Brazil, eight men dey diagnosed wit dis disease evri hour.

Sake of say di prostate na reproductive organ wey im primary function na to help produce sperm – di fluid wey carry sperm into ejaculation – researchers since long ago dey wonder about di effect of sexual factors on di risk of prostate cancer.

Make we dey specific, ejaculation dey protect against di risk of prostate cancer?

Interestingly, evidence dey to support dis idea. One recent review of all relevant medical research wey dem conduct ova di past 33 years show say seven out of 11 studies find one beneficial effect of ejaculation frequency on prostate cancer risk.

Likewise, ejaculation fit alter di prostate immune response, reduce inflammation – one known risk factor for cancer development – ​​or increase immune defence against tumour cells.

Alternatively, reduce psychological tension, ejaculation fit decrease nervous system activity, wey dey prevent some prostate cells so e no go divide too quickly, increase di risk say dem fit become cancerous.

Despite dis suggested mechanisms, for research wey indicate say ejaculation dey protective, e appear say di details dey important.

Age sef dey play one role for dis. Ejaculation frequency often only na protective between ages 20 and 29, or between ages 30 and 39, and sometimes only later (age 50 or older). And in fact, di risk dey increase for younger pipo (20 years old).

Oda times, ejaculation during adolescence (wen di prostate still dey develop and mature) get di greatest impact on prostate cancer risk decades later.

But how often dey often? We fit say veri often for some cases.

One study from Harvard University for di United States show say men wey ejaculate 21 or more times per month get 31% lower risk of prostate cancer dan men wey report to ejaculate four to seven times per month all throughout dia lives.

Dem find similar results for Australia, where prostate cancer dey 36% less likely to dey diagnosed bifor age 70 among men wey bin ejaculate for average of five to seven times per week, compare to men wey ejaculate less dan two times inside one week.

Oda research dey take much more modest view, wit more dan four ejaculations per month as di frequency wey dey provide protective effects for certain age groups and patients.

No definitive conclusion

E dey difficult to draw overall conclusions from dis research, especially wen di studies dey different so much for how dem dey conducted.

Factors like di different populations of men wey bin participate for di research, di number of men wey dey di analyses, and differences for how ejaculation frequency dey measured (weda dis include sexual intercourse, masturbation and nocturnal emissions) fit confuse di picture.

In fact, to measure ejaculation frequency rely on self-reports and often dey go back several years or even decades. E therefore dey best as estimate, wey fit dey bias by attitudes, both personal and societal, towards sexual activity and masturbation, wey fit lead to over-tok sef-reporting or to under-declaration.

Bias fit also dey for di detection of prostate tumours, wit veri sexually active men wey dey delay or no go hospital for fear say cancer treatment go disturb dia sexual activity. Dis men wit one high ejaculation frequency fit therefore get prostate cancer, wey end up not to dey recorded for dis studies.

E also dey possible say ejaculation no dey protect against prostate cancer and say di relationships wey dem see na sake of oda factors. For example, men wey dey ejaculate more frequently fit get healthier lifestyles, wey dey reduce di chances say dem go diagnose dem wit cancer.

Reduced ejaculation frequency dey linked to increase bodi mass index (BMI), reduce physical activity, and divorce – all factors wey associate wit poorer overall health, wey in turn fit contribute to di development of cancer.

Testosterone fit dey Important

Testosterone, di primary male sex hormone, also dey play ogbonge role for dis equation.

E dey well known say e dey increase sexual desire, so man wit low testosterone levels fit no get same desire for sexual activity wey dey lead to ejaculation as man wit higher levels.

Against early opinions wey suggest say high levels of testosterone in men dey increase di risk of prostate cancer, current opinion suggest say no be only say e no dey increase dis risk, na actually low concentrations of testosterone dey increase di risk. Dis na especially true for men wit prostate cancer, wey dia disease development dey more serious wen testosterone levels dey low.

Therefore, e dey possible say testosterone dey reduce di risk of prostate cancer for men and additionally dey increase dia motivation to engage for sexual activity.

Despite dis, most studies no dey measure testosterone levels and, best, only recognise am as one possible influencing factor. One study wey dey measure di male sex hormone show say men wey dey ejaculate frequently get higher testosterone levels. And dis be di men wey also get reduced risk of prostate cancer.

Sexual activity and ejaculation get benefits beyond di prostate, including positive effects on di heart, brain, immune system, sleep and mood. So while di relationship between ejaculation frequency and prostate cancer no fully clear – and e get real need for further study – frequent ejaculation (within reason) go certainly no dey harmful, e fit even dey do good, and e suppose, therefore, be part of man healthy lifestyle.

* Daniel Kelly na Professor of Biochemistry for Sheffield Hallam University, UK.

Dis article originally dey published on di academic news site Di Conversation and republished here under one Creative Commons license.