Masturbation Reduces Cancer Risk

Forget all that stuff about going blind and hairy palms. Researchers now say that frequent masturbation is not only good for you but may reduce the risk of getting prostate cancer. They say cancer-causing chemicals could build up in the prostate if men do not ejaculate regularly.

Australian researchers questioned over 1,000 men who had developed prostate cancer and 1,250 who had not about their sexual habits.

They found those who had ejaculated the most between the ages of 20 and 50 were the least likely to develop the cancer. The protective effect was greatest while the men were in their 20s. Men who ejaculated more than five times a week were a third less likely to develop prostate cancer later in life.

The researchers suggest that ejaculating may prevent carcinogens accumulating in the prostate gland. The prostate provides a fluid into semen during ejaculation that activates sperm and prevents them sticking together. The fluid has high concentrations of substances including potassium, zinc, fructose and citric acid, which are drawn from the bloodstream.

Studies conducted on animals have shown that certain carcinogens such as 3-methylchloranthrene, found in cigarette smoke, are also concentrated in the prostate. According to Dr. Giles fewer ejaculations mean that carcinogens are able to build up in the prostate:

“It’s a prostatic stagnation hypothesis. The more you flush the ducts out, the less there is to hang around and damage the cells that line them.”

Giles accepts the possibility that the men who completed the questionnaires could have lied about their habits. But he doubts this skewed the results, since questions about masturbation are unlikely to evoke the same macho exaggeration as questions about, say, number of sexual partners.

Another theory put forward by the researchers is that ejaculation may induce prostate glands to mature fully, making them less susceptible to carcinogens. Anthony Smith, deputy director of the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society at La Trobe University in Melbourne, said the research could affect the kind of lifestyle advice doctors give to patients.

“Masturbation is part of people’s sexual repertoire. If these findings hold up, then it’s perfectly reasonable that men should be encouraged to masturbate,” he said.

Dr. Andrew Weil, when asked about the health effects of masturbation, said masturbation is a normal sexual behavior that just about everybody engages in – 95 percent of males and 89 percent of females, according to current statistics. For many people, however, it remains a taboo subject and a practice that is still regarded as perverse or immoral. As recently as the late 19th century, medical doctors condemned masturbation as destructive to mental health, even recommending amputation of the penis as a way to cure the habit in compulsive males.

In my view, masturbation can be a normal expression of sexuality in both men and women. When done compulsively or addictively it can be irritating or exhausting, but in moderation it is medically harmless and may even be healthy.

Teenwire.com has an article on masturbation myths in which they debunk some of the commonly held views on the subject. They include:

• Masturbation is unhealthy
• Only people who “can’t get any” masturbate
• Girls don’t masturbate
• It’s bad to masturbate everyday

So in summary it looks like it is O.K. to go ahead and masturbate as much as you like. It does no harm and may even protect you against prostate cancer. However there are rules and regulations that should be obeyed as suggested by the good people at Georgia Tech.

And if anyone tells you to stop having so much fun just point them to this blog!!